Boron-doped Homoepitaxial Diamond CVD from Microwave Plasma-Activated Ethanol/Trimethyl Borate/Hydrogen Mixtures

• Published in: Chemical vapor deposition Vol. 18; no. 10-12; pp. 302 - 308
• Main Authors: Belousov, Maxim E., Mankelevich, Yuri A., Minakov, Pavel V., Rakhimov, Alexander T., Suetin, Nikolay V., Khmelnitskiy, Roman A., Tal, Alexei A., Khomich, Alexander V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 01.09.2012; WILEY‐VCH Verlag
• Subjects: Borates; Boron doping; Chemical vapor deposition; Deposition; Diamond films; Diamond homoepitaxy; Diamonds; Ethanol; Ethyl alcohol; Low concentrations; Low roughness surface; PACVD; Plasma modeling
• ISSN: 0948-1907; 1521-3862
• DOI: 10.1002/cvde.201206993

Boron‐doped homoepitaxial diamond films are deposited from ethanol/trimethyl borate/hydrogen mixtures activated by microwave (MW) discharge plasma. The high smoothness, uniform distribution of boron atoms located predominantly in substitution positions, and low concentration of the nitrogen‐compensating impurity is achieved. C2H5OH dissociation pathways in MW plasma‐activated (PA)CVD reactor conditions, and the distribution of CxHyOz concentrations in the hot core of C2H5OH/H2 plasma are calculated. It is shown that the methyl radical is as responsible for diamond growth in C2H5OH/H2 mixtures as for a conventional CH4/H2 mixture. Boron‐doped homoepitaxial diamond films are deposited from ethanol/trimethyl borate/hydrogen mixtures activated by a microwave discharge plasma. Measurements of film surface roughness show their excellent smoothness, which usually corresponds to a low concentration of growth defects. A uniform distribution of boron atoms located predominantly in substitution positions and low concentration of the nitrogen compensating impurity is achieved.