In situ optical emission spectroscopy of diamond film growth process in transverse bias

The nucleation and growth of diamond film under transverse bias were investigated in a hot-filament chemical vapor deposition system. It was shown that the nucleation density of diamond was enhanced with the increase of transverse bias current. A nucleation density of 1.1×108 cm-2 can be obtained, but transverse bias is harmful to the growth of diamond film. In situ optical emission spectroscopy technology was used to study the diamond film deposition process. Results show that the improvement of nucleation density and the harm to the growth may be caused by the abundance of atomic hydrogen and CH radical which is favorable to the formation of thin amorphous carbon layers.