Nucleation and growth of diamond on titanium silicon carbide by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Diamond nucleation and growth on titanium silicon carbide (Ti3SiC2) slices were investigated by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD) in a hydrogen and methane gas mixture for the first time. For comparison, diamond deposition on Si wafers under the same conditions was also investigated. A much higher diamond nucleation density and a much higher film growth rate were obtained on Ti3SiC2 compared with on Si. The deposition time for the formation of fully dense diamond film was much shorter on Ti3SiC2 than on Si. Furthermore, the diamond films on Ti3SiC2 show smoother surface with a preferred [0 0 1] orientation and exhibit better adhesion than those on Si. These results indicate that Ti3SiC2 has great potentials to be used as both substrate materials and interlayers on metals for diamond thin film deposition and application. It may greatly expand the tribological applications of both Ti3SiC2 and diamond thin films.