Chemical Nucleation of Diamond Films

With the large differences in surface energy between film and substrate in combination with the low sticking coefficient of hydrocarbon radicals, nanocrystalline diamond growth on foreign substrates typically results in poor nucleation densities. A seeding technique is therefore required to realize pinhole-free and thin coalesced films. A chemical nucleation method for growth of diamond on nondiamond substrates based on 2,2-divinyladamantane was developed. After treating with the carbon-containing DVA, the chemically treated wafers were exposed to low-power-density plasma, known as the incubation phase, to facilitate the formation of diamond nucleation sites followed by a high-power-density growth regime to produce coalesced films.
It comprises of Raman data (raman data) for the films to check the quality of diamond growth. Raw AFM data for the nucleated substrates and SEM data for various samples used in the experiment. AFM Data 151014EPY is the AFM data for seeds incubated for 240 mins. The corresponding SEM is SEM 151014EPY_11. AFM Data 151015EPY shows the AFM of a sample incubated for 30 minutes. SEM 150901EPY_01 is the SEM image of sample with 15 minutes incubation and 60 minutes growth.  SEM 151005EPY_01 and SEM 151005EPY_02 is the SEM image of sample with 30 minutes incubation and 60 minutes growth with 24 hour exposure to xenon lamp.  SEM 151006EPY_05 and SEM 151006EPY_06 is the SEM image of sample with 30 minutes incubation and 60 minutes growth with 24 hour exposure to deuterium lamp. SEM 151008EPYA_03, SEM 151008EPYA_04 and SEM 151008EPYA_09 is the SEM image of sample with 30 minutes incubation and 60 minutes growth with no exposure to radiation. SEM 151008EPYB_00 and SEM 151008EPYB_09 is the SEM image of sample with 30 minutes incubation and 60 minutes growth on untreated silicon. SEM 151016EPY_02 is the SEM image of sample with 30 minutes incubation and 510 minutes growth. SEM 160215A_00, SEM 160215A_01 and SEM 160215A_03 is the SEM image of sample with 30 minutes incubation and 60 minutes growth which was coated with toluene without exposure to light. SEM 160210C_00 is the SEM image of sample with 30 minutes incubation and 60 minutes growth which was washed with cyclohexane without exposure to light.  SEM 160210B03 is the SEM image of sample with 30 minutes incubation and 60 minutes growth which was coated with 1-mercaptoadamantane dissolved in cyclohexane without exposure to light. SEM 160210A_02  is the SEM image of sample with 30 minutes incubation and 60 minutes growth which was coated with adamantane dissolved in cyclohexane without exposure to light.

The data in this set support research results that have been published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 8, 26220 (2016) DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b08286