Large-area high-quality single crystal diamond

Diamond offers a unique combination of extreme physical properties. For many technological applications, diamond samples of the highest crystal quality are required to utilize the ultimate potential of the material. Specifically, grain boundaries, as in polycrystalline films, have to be avoided. In this article, the two major current approaches of synthesizing single crystal diamond by chemical vapor deposition are described. In homoepitaxy, high gas pressure and high power density microwave discharges facilitating growth rates above 50 mu m/h form the basis for the deposition of mm-thick single crystal samples. Cloning and tiling followed by homoepitaxial overgrowth are promising novel concepts aimed at an increase in the lateral dimensions. Heteroepitaxial deposition on large-area single crystals of a foreign material represents a second alternative approach. The state of the art for both concepts is summarized, and current as well as potential future applications are discussed.