Observation of diamond nanocrystals in carbon films deposited during ion-assisted microwave plasma nucleation pretreatments

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Abstract
Diamondnanocrystals were observed in carbonfilmsdeposited by ion‐assisted microwaveplasma pretreatments for diamondthin films. Both selected‐area electron diffraction and x‐ray diffraction confirm the presence of diamond in the bias‐deposited carbonfilms despite micro‐Raman spectra and scanning electron micrographs which do not provide conclusive evidence of this carbon phase. These analyses indicate that carbondeposited by the ion‐assisted nucleation process consists of a high density of nanocrystalline diamond nuclei in a nondiamond carbon matrix. Subsequent growth of these nuclei using unbiased microwaveplasma chemical‐vapor deposition leads to the formation of relatively smooth and thin continuous polycrystalline diamondfilms with small grain sizes.