Diamond grown on single-crystal beryllium oxide

Abstract

Diamond has been grown on single-crystal beryllium oxide by hot-filament chemical-vapor deposition. The diamond particles were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, and the morphology and microstructure investigated by scanning electron microscopy and plan-view and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. Diamond grew epitaxially on the basal plane of BeO with the epitaxial relationship {111}diamond∥{0001}BeO and 〈11̄0〉diamond rotated by less than 6° with respect to 〈112̄0〉BeO. Diamond was also grown on the (112̄0) prism plane of BeO. A selected-area-diffraction pattern obtained from a plan-view of these specimens indicated the presence of a set of spots that corresponded to the {101̄0} planes of hexagonal diamond or to the 1/3(422) forbidden spots of cubic diamond. During diamond deposition on (112̄0)BeO surfaces, small particles of beryllium carbide (Be2C) were also observed.