Diamond platelets produced by chemical vapor deposition.

Diamond platelets of sub-micrometer size were obtained by chemical vapor deposition technique from CH 4 /H 2 gas mixture activated by a direct current discharge. Comprehensive characterization of the diamond platelets was performed with use of scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The diamond platelet crystallites were found to be in the deposited material in form of stacked or isolated hexagonal platelets in combination with polyhedron crystallites. Six-fold rotational symmetry and composition of stacked (111) atom planes in the diamond platelets was revealed from analysis of the electron diffraction patterns. The structure and possible growth mechanisms of the platelets in the case of direct current plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]