| The remarkable properties of diamond including its extreme hardness, low coefficient of friction, chemical inertness, high thermal conductivity, transparency and semi-conducting properties make it attractive for a wide range uses including cutting tools, electro-optical applications, microelectronics and even biological applications. In recent years, the techniques for deposition of crystalline diamond films have progressed rapidly. For instance, the growth rate of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) films has been increased substantially while the quality of the diamond films has also improved.; In this research the influence of deposition parameters on the characteristics of diamond films deposited by microwave-enhanced CVD have been investigated using a three-factor, 2 level, full factorial experimental design. The influence of substrate temperature, deposition pressure, and methane concentration on the quality of diamond films deposited on molybdenum substrates were examined. The quality of the coatings was assessed by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction. |
