Single-Crystal Diamond Needle Fabrication Using Hot-Filament Chemical Vapor Deposition

Materials (Basel). 2021 Apr 29;14(9):2320. doi: 10.3390/ma14092320.

Abstract

Single-crystal diamonds in the form of micrometer-scale pyramids were produced using a combination of hot-filament (HF) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and thermal oxidation processes. The diamond pyramids were compared here with similar ones that were manufactured using plasma-enhanced (PE) CVD. The similarities revealed in the morphology, Raman, and photoluminescent characteristics of the needles obtained using the hot-filament and plasma-enhanced CVD are discussed in connection with the diamond film growth mechanism. This work demonstrated that the HF CVD method has convincing potential for the fabrication of single-crystal diamond needles in the form of regularly shaped pyramids on a large surface area, even on non-conducting substrates. The experimental results demonstrated the ability for the mass production of the single-crystal needle-like diamonds, which is important for their practical application.

Keywords: chemical vapor deposition; diamond needles; hot-filament CVD; large-scale synthesis; thin films.