Fractal features and surface micromorphology of diamond nanocrystals

J Microsc. 2016 Nov;264(2):143-152. doi: 10.1111/jmi.12422. Epub 2016 May 18.

Abstract

This paper analyses the three-dimensional (3-D) surface texture of growing diamond nanocrystals on Au thin films as catalyst on p-type Si substrate using hot filament chemical vapour deposition (HFCVD). Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses were applied also to characterize the 3-D surface texture data in connection with the statistical, and fractal analyses. This type of 3-D morphology allows a deeper understanding of structure/property relationships and surface defects in prepared samples. Our results indicate a promising way for preparing high-quality diamond nanocrystals on Au thin films as catalyst on p-type Si substrate via HFCVD method.

Keywords: Fractal analysis; hot filament chemical vapour deposition; nanocrystaline diamond; three-dimensional surface micromorphology.