Optimization of residual stresses inside diamond thin films grown by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD)

The residual stresses of micro-and nano-crystalline diamond thin films grown using hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) are of great importance as they affect the resulting film quality. The range of these stresses varies widely, as they are controlled by the parameters. In this paper, many diamond thin films ranging from microcrystalline to ultra-nanocrystalline were prepared under different process parameters using hot filament CVD. The substrate deflection technique was implemented to measure the stresses in the prepared diamond films. Results show that, depending on the applied parameters, the diamond film stress can vary from tensile to compressive which gives us the possibility to control and optimize the stresses in such films.