STUDY OF EARLY STAGES OF DIAMOND NUCLEATION AND GROWTH BY COMBINED USE OF SEM AND AES TECHNIQUES

In this work we present a characterization by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of diamond surfaces, prepared with the technique of chemical vapour deposition (CVD). The initial nucleation of diamond has been studied on Si(111) substrates exposed to hydrocarbons for 5 and 20 min. The lineshape of carbon Auger transition together with SEM observation seem to show evidence of the presence of diamond nuclei on the sample after 5 min of growth and a continuous film on the sample after 20 min without any other carbon phase (noncrystalline or highly disordered carbon phase).