Current status of heteroepitaxy of CVD diamond

Epitaxial growth of chemical vapor deposited (CVD) diamond on non-diamond substrates such as c-BN, SiC, BeO, Cu, Ni, and graphite has been the subject of intense effort. It has been confirmed that diamond can be grown epitaxially, on c-BN single crystals, especially on the boron-terminated surfaces. However, the limitation of the small size of c-BN particles has prevented further development for practical purposes. Recently, highly oriented particles and films have been observed on the {100} planes of beta-SIC substrates by beta-bias-enhanced microwave method. Further, the [111]-oriented particles have been also reported on the {0001} surface of alpha-SiC which is equivalent in surface structure to the {111} surface of B-SiC. The [111]-oriented particles have been also observed on the {0001} planes of BeO and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. In this paper, the current status of heteroepitaxy of CVD diamond is summarized and discussed based on crystallographic considerations.