Ellipsometric monitoring of an oriented diamond nucleation process in bias-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

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Abstract
The process of bias-enhanced nucleation of diamond has been monitored and analyzed by ellipsometry. The time evolution of optically equivalent thickness has been obtained and it has been confirmed with the help of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy that four stages exist: they are carbonization, incubation, nuclei growth, and film growth. It has been considered, during the incubation stage, that carbonization and etching proceed simultaneously and that high density and oriented diamond nuclei are generated by the accelerated elimination of weak C–C bonds and the faster formation of sp3 C–C bonds in a substrate.