Ion acceleration in bias-enhanced nucleation of diamond at relatively high pressures

In order to explain the bias-enhanced nucleation (BEN) of diamond at pressures of approximately 6 kPa, the flux and energy of hydrogen ions to a negatively biased substrate in microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MWP-CVD) were investigated. Ion flux increased rapidly upon increasing the negative bias voltage to greater than 150 V when the pressure was higher than 3 kPa. This phenomenon was attributed to the additional ionization in the vicinity of the substrate due to biasing. Optical emission spectroscopy at 6 kPa clarified that the emission intensity of the Swan band of C2 radicals was reduced, and intramolecular temperatures were enhanced in this bias region. A numerical simulation on the basis of the measured ion flux and density revealed that the most frequent energy was less than 2 eV under the conditions of 200 V and 6 kPa, and that the average number of collisions in the plasma sheath reached 60. We propose, on the basis of these results, that the substrate biasing in BEN at pressures above 3 kPa causes the additional ionization and activation of neutral species in the sheath, while the direct momentum transfer of ions to the substrate is strongly suppressed in BEN in this pressure range.

Research Highlights
► Ion flux increased exceptionally at negative bias >150 V and P >3kPa.
► Dissociation of C2 was enhanced by substrate biasing.
► The average number of collisions in the sheath reached 60.
► Activation of neutral species is prior to the direct momentum transfer.