SURFACE PRETREATMENT METHODS AND NUCLEATION ENHANCEMENT MECHANISMS

0 SURFACE PRETREATMENT METHODS AND NUCLEATION ENHANCEMENT MECHANISMS 

Diamond nucleation on non-diamond surfaces without pretreatment is usually too slow to obtain continuous films within a reasonable time. A variety of surfece pretreatment methods have been developed to enhance diamond nucleation rate and density on various substrates, including  

These nucleation enhancement methods make it possible to control diamond nucleation density over several orders of magnitude. The nucleation density has been increased from 10 cm on untreated substrates to 10 cm on scratched or biased substrates. The average nucleation densities are, however, not sufficient for producing diamond films that can be applied to abrasion resistant or ultraviolet optical elements.  

In the following sections, the methods which can modify substrate surface conditions and enhance diamond nucleation are reviewed and the corresponding nucleation enhancement mechanisms are discussed. 

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