Reactive chemistry of C(2)H(x) species on CVD diamond

Conference item

The reactive chemistry of ethyl species on the diamond surface in the presence atomic H/D has been studied. At low H surface concentrations, a thermally driven pathway converts mono-bonded ethyl into di-bonded ethylene on the surface, leading to decomposition to adsorbed carbon. In the presence of surface H, this pathway is largely blocked leading to spontaneous desorption as ethene after β-elimination at 750 K. The adsorbed ethyl radical is kinetically unstable when irradiated with atomic D and undergoes spontaneous desorption as ethene and ethane. We conclude from the results that adsorbed ethyl species are too unstable to be able to contribute effectively to diamond growth, but they could play a role in diamond etching. © 1998 Published by Elsevier Science S.A.

Authors: Loh, K; Foord, J; Jackman, R

• Publication status: Published
• Host title: DIAMOND AND RELATED MATERIALS
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 2-5
• Pages: 243-246
• Publication date: 1998-02-01
• DOI: 10.1016/S0925-9635(97)00263-X
• ISSN: 0925-9635
• Keywords: CVD diamond; relative chemistry; electron spectroscopy; diamond surface