Microwave Plasma-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition Reactor: Instrumentation and Implementation for Carbon Materials

Date of Graduation

Fall 2006

Degree

Master of Science in Materials Science

Department

Physics, Astronomy, and Materials Science

Committee Chair

Ryan Giedd

Abstract

Chemical vapor deposition techniques prove to be extremely valuable for the deposition of a variety of advances materials with diverse applications. One of its variants – Microwave Chemical Vapor Deposition (MWCVD) provides invaluable capabilities to synthesize a gamut of carbon-based materials utilizing advances process control of the plasma and growth parameters. MPACVD growth of carbon-based materials offers an excellent alternative to existing silicon technology which is usually limited by intrinsic thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties. While extensive carbon material research has been performed over the last two decades, growth mechanism including nucleation, synthesis, and doping are not fully understood. This work will present and discuss the a) assembly and testing of an ASTeX PDS-19 MPACVD unit for synthesizing advances carbon materials; poly-/micro-/nanocrystalline diamond films; b) the upgrade of system hardware and software to leverage modern computing and control capabilities while maintaining process safety and performance; and c_ process optimization to study growth mechanism and their influence on structural properties. Specifically, boron-doped (p-typed) diamond was studied to understand the influence of doping concentration on the structural and physical properties. Characterization methods, including SEM, AFM, X-Ray Diffraction, and visible Raman Spectroscopy, were employed to establish ‘property-structure’ correlation. This work will provide a platform for subsequent refinement of process parameters in order to achieve predictable device characteristics.

Keywords

diamond films, doping, microwave chemical vapor deposition, nanoscience, structure, characterization

Subject Categories

Materials Science and Engineering

Copyright

© Gregory P. Vierkant

Citation-only

Dissertation/Thesis

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