Method of making large area single crystalline diamond films

Claim 1

A method of nucleating and growing a large area, contiguous, pinhole-free, single crystalline diamond film within a diamond growth chamber which is capable of generating atomic hydrogen from hydrogen gas supplied to the chamber, which comprises the steps of: disposing a substrate within the diamond growth chamber, the substrate having an exposed upper surface and comprising a metal that forms a metal hydride having a specific gravity in the liquid state such that diamond particles will float on it, said metal hydride having a melting temperature which is less than 1450 Celsius and less than the melting temperature of the substrate; evacuating air from the diamond growth chamber; heating the substrate to a temperature which is less than the melting temperature of the substrate, and greater than the melting temperature of said metal hydride; generating atomic hydrogen within the growth chamber from the hydrogen gas supplied to the chamber; continuously accelerating the hydrogen atoms towards the exposed upper substrate surface, to implant the hydrogen atoms in the substrate and convert the solid substrate at the exposed upper substrate surface to a liquid film of metal hydride; depositing a nanocrystalline diamond powder, consisting of diamond nanoparticles having a maximum cross section of three nanometers, on the liquid metal hydride film to a depth not exceeding three layers, whereby the diamond nanoparticles arrange themselves on the liquid metal hydride film to their lowest free energy state, forming a nascent contiguous single-crystalline diamond film; Adding, to the hydrogen gas from which the atomic hydrogen is generated, a dilution of hydrocarbon gas and oxygen, with the mole fraction of oxygen approaching but not exceeding the mole fraction of the carbon, to homoepitaxially grow diamond on the nascent contiguous single-crystalline diamond film to a desired thickness.

Claim 2

A method of nucleating and growing a large area, contiguous, pinhole-free, single crystalline diamond film within a diamond growth chamber which is capable of generating atomic hydrogen from hydrogen gas supplied to the chamber, which comprises the steps of: disposing a substrate within the diamond growth chamber, the substrate having an exposed upper surface and comprising a metal that forms a metal hydride having a specific gravity in the liquid state such that diamond particles will float on it, said metal hydride having a melting temperature which is less than 1450 Celsius and less than the melting temperature of the substrate; evacuating air from the diamond growth chamber; heating the substrate to a temperature which is less than the melting temperature of the substrate, and greater than the melting temperature of said metal hydride; generating atomic hydrogen within the growth chamber from the hydrogen gas supplied to the chamber; continuously accelerating the hydrogen atoms towards the exposed upper substrate surface, to implant the hydrogen atoms in the substrate and convert the solid substrate at the exposed upper substrate surface to a liquid film of metal hydride; depositing a nanocrystalline diamond powder, consisting of diamond nanoparticles having a maximum cross section of three nanometers, on the liquid metal hydride film to a depth not exceeding three layers, whereby the diamond nanoparticles arrange themselves on the liquid metal hydride film to their lowest free energy state, forming a nascent contiguous single-crystalline diamond film; Adding, to the hydrogen gas from which the atomic hydrogen is generated, a dilution of hydrocarbon gas and oxygen, with the mole fraction of oxygen approaching but not exceeding the mole fraction of the carbon, to homoepitaxially grow diamond on the nascent contiguous single-crystalline diamond film to a desired thickness.

Claim 9

A method of nucleating and growing a large area, contiguous, pinhole-free, single crystalline diamond film within a diamond growth chamber which is capable of generating atomic hydrogen from hydrogen gas supplied to the chamber, which comprises the steps of: disposing a nickel substrate within the diamond growth chamber, the nickel substrate having an exposed upper surface; evacuating air from the growth chamber; heating the nickel substrate to a temperature greater than 1145° Celsius; generating atomic hydrogen within the growth chamber from the hydrogen gas supplied to the chamber; placing a negative voltage bias on the nickel substrate to accelerate hydrogen atoms towards the exposed upper substrate surface and implant the hydrogen atoms in the nickel, converting the solid nickel at the exposed upper substrate surface to a liquid film of nickel hydride; depositing nanocrystalline diamond powder of two to three nanometer cross section on the liquid nickel hydride film to a depth not exceeding three layers, whereby the diamond nanoparticles arrange themselves on the liquid nickel hydride film to their lowest free energy state, forming a nascent contiguous single-crystalline diamond film; Adding, to the hydrogen gas from which the atomic hydrogen is generated, a dilution of hydrocarbon gas and oxygen, with the mole fraction of oxygen approaching but not exceeding the mole fraction of the carbon, to homoepitaxially grow diamond on the nascent contiguous single-crystalline diamond film to a desired thickness.

Claim 10

A method of nucleating and growing a large area, contiguous, pinhole-free, single crystalline diamond film within a diamond growth chamber which is capable of generating atomic hydrogen from hydrogen gas supplied to the chamber, which comprises the steps of: disposing a nickel substrate within the diamond growth chamber, the nickel substrate having an exposed upper surface; evacuating air from the growth chamber; heating the nickel substrate to a temperature greater than 1145° Celsius; generating atomic hydrogen within the growth chamber from the hydrogen gas supplied to the chamber; placing a negative voltage bias on the nickel substrate to accelerate hydrogen atoms towards the exposed upper substrate surface and implant the hydrogen atoms in the nickel, converting the solid nickel at the exposed upper substrate surface to a liquid film of nickel hydride; depositing nanocrystalline diamond powder of two to three nanometer cross section on the liquid nickel hydride film to a depth not exceeding three layers, whereby the diamond nanoparticles arrange themselves on the liquid nickel hydride film to their lowest free energy state, forming a nascent contiguous single-crystalline diamond film; Adding, to the hydrogen gas from which the atomic hydrogen is generated, a dilution of hydrocarbon gas and oxygen, with the mole fraction of oxygen approaching but not exceeding the mole fraction of the carbon, to homoepitaxially grow diamond on the nascent contiguous single-crystalline diamond film to a desired thickness.