<i>In</i> <i>situ</i> observations of optical emission spectra in the diamond deposition environment of arc discharge plasma chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

In order to investigate the growth mechanism of diamond thin films, the in situ optical emission spectra of direct current (dc) arc discharge plasma, including the spatial distributions and different CH4/H2 ratios, have been measured during the growth processes of diamond thin films prepared by the dc arc discharge plasma chemical vapor deposition method. The results show that there are a great number of atomic hydrogens in the arc discharge plasma. This is the key factor for the growth of diamond films with a high rate and high quality. In addition, the effects of the CH4/H2 ratio on the quality of diamond films are discussed in detail in this letter.