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Presents a study that examined the effects of noble gases on diamond deposition from methane-hydrogen microwave plasmas. Background on diamond thin films; Assessment of the influence of the degree of excitation of reactant molecules; Results and discussion.

Thin diamond films were deposited on different substrates at temperatures below 500 °C by a microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. The deposited films were amorphous carbon or diamond films depending on the different gas mixtures used. The addition of oxygen to the gas mixtures was found to be critical for diamond growth at low temperatures. Without oxygen, the deposited films were white soots and easily scratched off. Increasing the oxygen input improved the quality of the Raman peaks and increased the film transparency. The diamond films were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schottky diodes were fabricated using gold and aluminum contacts to thin diamond films obtained by a microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition process. The current-voltage and capacitance-voltage-frequency characteristics of these devices are similar to those fabricated on a crystalline diamond base formed by traditional ultrahigh pressure process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]