Nucleation and growth of nanocrystalline diamond on NaCl substrate by RF-PECVD Original Research Article

Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) was synthesized on the NaCl(100) substrate by using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Combining our recent work on synthesizing microcrystalline diamond (MCD) and NCD on Si substrates, the nucleation and growth mechanisms for synthesizing MCD and NCD were investigated. Our findings are that surface stress, substrates, electrostatic attraction, substrate pre-treatment methods, and hydrogen in discharging gases play crucial roles in the nucleation and growth of NCD and MCD.