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Diamond thin films are deposited on silicon wafers by MPECVD process with the presence of methane, argon, and hydrogen gases. The reaction chamber is designed with an internal microwave reaction cavity and a high-pressure pocket for improving deposition conditions. Scanning electron microscopy reveals tetrahedral and cauliflower-shaped crystals for polycrystalline diamond and nanocrystalline diamond films, respectively. Spectroscopy ellipsometer studies indicate that diamond-like carbon (DLC) films are deposited with a thickness of 700 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy shows C-H stretching in the range from 2800 cm -1 to 3000 cm -1 . Nanoindentation is performed on DLC films with an average hardness of 10.98 GPa and an average elastic modulus of 90.32 GPa. The effects of chamber pressure, microwave forward power, and gas mixture on the plasma chemistry are discussed. Substrate temperature has a significant influence on film growth rate, and substrate pretreatment can enhance the quality of diamond films.

Crystalline thin films of silicon nitride have been grown on a variety of substrates by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition using N2, O2, and CH4 gases at a temperature of 800 deg C. X-ray diffraction and Rutherford backscattering measurements indicate the deposits are stoichiometric silicon nitride with varying amounts of the alpha and beta phases. Scanning electron microscope imaging indicates beta-Si3N4 possesses six-fold symmetry with particles size in the submicron range. In one experiment, the silicon necessary for growth comes from the single crystal silicon substrate due to etching/sputtering by the nitrogen plasma. The dependence of the grain size on the methane concentration is investigated. In an another experiment, an organo- silicon source, methoxytrimethylsilane, is used to grow silicon nitride with controlled introduction of the silicon necessary for growth. Thin crystalline films are deposited at rates of 0.1 micrometer/hr as determined by profilometry. A growth mechanism for both cases is proposed.