Morphology and Structure Properties of Boron-doped Diamond Films Prepared by Hot Cathode Direct Current Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition

Boron-doped diamond (BDD) films were deposited by hot cathode direct current plasma chemical vapor deposition (HCDC-PCVD) according to various mixture ratios of CH4/H2/B(OCH3)3 gas. The Raman performances and surface morphologies of the BDD films were then characterized by Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results indicated that the flow rate of B(OCH3)3 had marked effects on the growth characteristics of the produced boron-doped diamond films. The presence and concentration of the doped boron atoms significantly altered both the surface morphologies and structures of the diamond films. With increasing flow rate of B(OCH3)3, the crystal grain surfaces became smooth as visible under SEM. The B-doping levels in these films increased from 1.75 × 1019 cm-3 to a maximum of 2.4 × 1021 cm-3, estimated from the Raman spectra.