Kinetic Calculations in Plasmas Used for Diamond Deposition

Kinetic calculations in microwave discharges have been carried out for experimental conditions currently employed to grow diamond layers. The effects of plasma parameters such as the nature of the electron energy distribution function (eedf), the electron density (N_e), and the electron temperature (T_e) have been investigated. It has been pointed out that ion-molecule reactions do not notably modify the plasma composition in the range of electron density 10¹⁰-2× 10¹² cm^-3. In addition, the plasma chemistry is greatly influenced by the amount of H atoms present in the discharge. Finally, the hydrocarbons produced in the discharge have been classified into two categories, CH_x (0{≤q}x{≤q}3) radicals and C₂H_y (0{≤q}y{≤q}6) neutrals, and diamond deposition can be related to plasma compositions.