Abstract

Si (100) substrates, scratched with diamond paste (4μm), were implanted in one half of their surface, with ⁴⁰Ar⁺ (60 keV) and ⁸⁴Kr⁺ (60, 100 and 300 keV) ions with fluences ranging from 5×10¹³ to 10¹⁵ ions/cm². These samples were placed in a hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) equipment and after deposition the diamond nucleation density was analyzed. The nucleation density remained the same as the one for the non implanted area, until a certain critical ion fluence, beyond which decreases rapidly more than three orders of magnitude. This critical fluence depends on the ion mass, energy and on the substrate temperature during the ion implantation. The nucleation density data as a function of ion fluence correlates well with RBS/channeling measurements results that show the amorphisation of the samples at the previously mentioned critical fluences. The results indicate that the atomic motions during the ion induced amorphisation process destroy the small features in the sample surface topography that are responsible for the CVD diamond nucleation.

© 1995 Optical Society of America