Sequential Growth of Diamond Thin Films in a Rotating Disc Reactor

Current difficulties in the growth of diamond thin films lie in their metastable characteristic and the requirements of non-equilibrium heteroepitaxial techniques for the single crystal growth. Sequential exposure of reactants using a microwave hydrogen plasma enhanced Atomic Layer Epitaxy (PE-ALE) reactor is proposed to promote two dimensional nucleation. In particular, use of halocarbon species is proposed to investigate the possibility of self-limiting growth of diamond thin films. We will use a movable mechanical barrier to divide the chamber into multiple zones. The zones supply source gas, exited or purging hydrogen. The substrate, constantly rotating beneath the barrier, is alternately exposed to the individual gases. The success of proof of principle will result in the growth of epitaxial diamond films and a novel process technology.