Structural, optical and mechanical properties of thin diamond and silicon carbide layers grown by low pressure microwave linear antenna plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition

•Low temperature growth of NCD and SiC layers using the same MW-LA-PECVD apparatus•NCD and SiC structural, optical and mechanical properties comparison•SiC comparable with NCD but with significantly higher adhesion and wear resistance•SiC layer refraction index close to bulk diamond

In this work, we detail the properties of thin silicon carbide and polycrystalline diamond layers grown by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition with linear antenna delivery. Structural, mechanical and optical properties are compared for their potential use as transparent hard coatings. Silicon carbide layers exhibit mechanical properties comparable to thin diamond layers but with a significantly higher adhesion and lower optical absorption coefficient over a wide spectral range.

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