Bias-enhanced nucleation of oriented diamond on single-crystalline 6H-SiC substrates

A bias-enhanced nucleation (BEN) technique in hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HF-CVD) has been applied to single-crystalline 6H-SiC substrates for the deposition of oriented diamond films, The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that on the (<000(1)over bar>) face not only oriented diamond films with the relationship (111) Dia.//(<000(1)over bar>) 6H-SiC and [110] Dia.//[<11(2)over bar 0>] 6H-SiC, but also that high nucleation density (>10(9) cm(-2)) has been achieved. In the case of deposition on the (0001) face of the GH-SIC under the same experimental conditions, although the nucleation density of diamond was enhanced (above 10(9) cm(-2)), however, oriented diamond was not observed, The diamond nucleation density is greater on the (0001) face than on the (<000(1)over bar>)) face. The differences in oriented nucleation and nucleation density on these two faces are attributed to the difference of their specific free surface energy and chemical bonds.