DIAMOND DEPOSITION ON NONPLANAR SUBSTRATES

The deposition of a thermally conductive, insulating film of diamond onto high power electronic devices is important for packaging applications for corrosive environments, or high power applications where coolants are used for thermal management. Deposition of diamond will require a basic understanding of plasma physics fundamentals governing interfaces between plasma and substrates, and intelligent application of low and high pressure plasma processes. The proposed work will be focused on diamond deposition on nonplanar surfaces using a novel plasma process consisting of low and high pressure steps, respectively, for diamond nucleation and growth. The effect of substrate topography on film uniformity and growth rate will be investigated. A low temperature, low pressure nucleation process will be combined with an existing low temperature growth process to identify physical mechanisms and limitations for diamond nucleation and growth on nonplanar substrates.