Uniform and rapid nucleation of diamond via bias-assisted hot filament chemical vapor deposition

A new method was developed to obtain high density, uniform diamond nuclei via bias-assisted hot filament chemical vapor deposition. A negative bias was applied between a mesh (installed above the filament) and the substrate to produce abundant uniform ions at the growth surface. Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Auger electron microscopy were used to analyze the films obtained. The results show that a layer of diamond film with a nucleation density of 109/cm2 can be obtained after 10 min deposition under 1 Torr.