Influence of high-power density plasma on heteroepitaxial diamond nucleation on 3C-SiC surface

Nucleation of a heteroepitaxial diamond on a heterogeneous substrate is a significant process that determines the quality of the diamond. We revealed that the use of high-power density plasma improved the orientation of a diamond on 3C-SiC/Si substrates. Physical analyses suggest that the epitaxial relationship between the diamond and the 3C-SiC can be retained if a large amount of atomic hydrogen is generated in the plasma. By subsequent film growth, we obtained a highly orientated diamond film with a tilt spread of 0.52°, which is the smallest value among diamond films on 3C-SiC buffer layers.