Nanodiamond seeding for nucleation and growth of CVD diamond films

Detonation nanodiamonds are shown to be effective seeds for growth of CVD diamond films as they provide high nucleation density on a substrate and can be placed on shaped surfaces and even into porous materials. XPS, AES and TEM analyses give useful information on the early stage of diamond growth. The transfer molding technique for manufacturing various diamond shapes is described. As the nucleation side of free-standing films produced by molding is the "working" surface, emphasis is placed on the study of its properties, such as topography, impurity contamination, thermal conductivity, and wettability. Diamond items grown directly on patterned Si templates are illustrated.