Surface science contribution to the BEN control on Si(100) and 3C-SiC(100): Towards ultrathin nanocrystalline diamond films

Deposition of thin and smooth nanocrystalline diamond films requires a high degree of control of the nucleation stage. The nature of the interface between diamond film and substrate is also important for some applications. The successive steps of the bias-enhanced nucleation (BEN) process are studied in-situ on Si(100) and 3C-SiC(100) using electron spectroscopies. Thin nanodiamond films (80-900 nm) have been achieved on Si(100). The formation of a thin covering SiC layer (2-3 nm) during the plasma exposure for parameters stabilization (PEPS) step leads us to study the plasma/surface interactions on 3C-SiC(100) surfaces. The C-terminated 3C-SiC(100) demonstrates a large inertia under microwave plasma (MP)CVD conditions. An enhancement of diamond nucleation on this surface is observed. Moreover, surface analysis reveals very little damage after BEN on 3C-SiC surfaces.