The theory of CVD diamond growth

The theory of CVD diamond growth has developed into a mature subject of study over the last few years. In this paper, we do not try to reproduce or summarize all the work performed to date, but rather focus on the important conceptual differences between the theoretical methods used and their practical differences with selected results from suggested CVD diamond reaction schemes. We conclude with an examination of two recent theoretical results which indicate that surface diffusion on {110} surfaces is probable and highly anisotropic and on some diamond surfaces (e.g. {111} surfaces at ledges and where twin boundaries penetrate) a displacive transition to a graphite layer can occur.