Interface characterization of chemical-vapour-deposited diamond on Cu and Pt substrates studied by transmission electron microscopy

A novel method has been employed to study the interfacial structures of the chemical-vapour-deposited (CVD) diamond on Cu and Pt substrates using high resolution electron microscopy (HREM) without thinning the specimens. The CVD diamond used for the HREM study was directly deposited on the Cu and Pt transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grids by means of microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapour deposition. The HREM images clearly reveal that there exists a graphite intermediate layer between diamond and copper, in which a small amount of amorphous carbon is embedded. A 4 nm graphite transitional layer has also been observed on the platinum substrate. The (0002) planes of the intermediate graphite phase closely parallel the Cu and Pt surfaces. The registry between { 111) planes of some diamond particles and the beneath graphite’s (0002) planes is evidenced by HREM, and the appearance of the (111) texturing diamond grains on Cu and Pt is supposed to be closely related to the graphite intermediate layers.