EVALUATING THE INFLUENCE OF GROWTH PARAMETERS ON CVD DIAMOND DEPOSITION USING FACTORIAL ANALYSIS

Overview & Synopsis

The deposition of diamond films by low pressure CVD methods has been demonstrated using a number of thermal and plasma assisted CVD techniques. Addition of oxygen to the methane-hydrogen feedstock has been reported to improve the quality of diamond deposited and decrease the temperature at which diamond deposition is feasible. Oxygen also effects the growth rate and possibly the uniformity of the film. In this paper an experimental design methodology, factorial analysis, is presented which is, in principle, applicable to any CVD process. The factorial analysis identifies the most influential growth parameters and any interactions between independently variable parameters. The analysis has been applied to diamond growth using CH4-O2-H2 mixtures in a microwave assisted CVD process. The effect of oxygen addition on growth rate and film quality is discussed.