DIAMOND FILM FORMATION BY LASER EVAPORATION OF HIGHLY DISPERSIVE DIAMOND IN A HYDROGEN PLASMA ENVIRONMENT

Previously it has been shown that diamond films produced by laser evaporation (LE) of highly dispersive diamond (HDD) possess a broad size distribution of conglomerates. As a result the produced diamond him was not smooth and homogeneous. In this paper the method was improved by means of HDD laser ablation in hydrogen d.c. plasma (P = 10 Torr). The influence of hydrogen on the LE process has been investigated. It was shown that the introduction of H plasma yields a destruction of large agglomerates in a vapour flux and protects the diamond particles surface from reconstruction. The diamond films produced by laser ablation of diamond in hydrogen plasma atmosphere (LADH) on Si and WC-Co substrates at room temperature consist of dense packed islands with mean size about 200 Angstrom. The film thickness was 1500-2500 Angstrom.