A self-supporting ultra-fine nanocrystalline diamond thick film, the thickness being 100-3000 microns, wherein 1 nanometer≤diamond grain size≤20 nanometers. A method for using chemical vapor deposition to grow ultra-fine nanocrystalline diamond on a silicon substrate, and separating the silicon substrate and the diamond to acquire the self-supporting ultra-fine nanocrystalline diamond thick film. The chemical vapor deposition method is simple and effective, and prepares a high-quality ultra-fine nanocrystalline diamond thick film.

A method for manufacturing diamond substrate of using source gas containing hydrocarbon gas and hydrogen gas to form diamond crystal on an underlying substrate by CVD method, to form a diamond crystal layer having nitrogen-vacancy centers in at least part of the diamond crystal, nitrogen or nitride gas is mixed in the source gas, wherein the source gas is: 0.005 volume % or more and 6.000 volume % or less of the hydrocarbon gas; 93.500 volume % or more and less than 99.995 volume % of the hydrogen gas; and 5.0×10.sup.−5 volume % or more and 5.0×10.sup.−1 volume % or less of the nitrogen gas or the nitride gas, and the diamond crystal layer having the nitrogen-vacancy centers is formed. A method for manufacturing a diamond substrate to form an underlying substrate, a diamond crystal having a dense nitrogen-vacancy centers (NVCs) with an orientation of NV axis by performing the CVD.

Provided are a structure for producing a high-quality single crystal diamond, and a method for manufacturing the structure for producing diamond. A structure for producing a diamond is composed of a base substrate and an Ir thin film formed on the base substrate. The thermal expansion coefficient of the base substrate is 5 times or less of the thermal expansion coefficient of diamond and the melting point of the base substrate is 700° C. or higher. The peak angle in the X-ray diffraction pattern of the Ir thin film is different from the peak angle in the X-ray diffraction pattern of the base substrate.

It is an object to provide a method for producing a diamond substrate effective for reducing various defects including dislocation defects and a foundation substrate used for the same. This object is achieved by a foundation substrate for forming a diamond film by a chemical vapor deposition method, wherein an off angle is provided to the surface of the foundation substrate with respect to a predetermined crystal plane orientation.

A non-planar chemical vapour deposition polycrystalline diamond body has a dome body having an apex and an outer periphery. The dome body has an average radius of curvature in a range of 4 mm to 25 mm and a maximum linear dimension at the outer periphery of the dome body of no more than 26 mm. The average radius of curvature is no less than 0.6 times the maximum linear dimension at the outer periphery. A method of fabricating the non-planar diamond body is also disclosed.

A non-planar body (1) comprising a dome body (2) having an apex (3) and an outer periphery, the apex (3) located on a first plane (4) and the outer periphery located on a second plane (6) substantially parallel to the first plane (4). A peripheral body (5) extends at least partially around the outer periphery of the dome body (2), and at an angle (7) of less than 180° with respect to a tangent (8) relative to the dome body (2) at the outer periphery of the dome body (2), the angle (7) being measured at an outer surface of the dome body (2). Any of the dome body (2) and the peripheral body are formed from polycrystalline diamond.

A film formation method is provided with a step for disposing a non-electroconductive long thin tube 102 in a chamber 101 in which the internal pressure thereof is adjustable, generating a plasma inside the long thin tube 102 in a state in which a starting material gas including a hydrocarbon is supplied, and forming a diamond-like carbon film on an inner wall surface of the long thin tube 102. The long thin tube 102 is disposed in the chamber 101 in a state in which a discharge electrode 125 is disposed in one end part of the long thin tube 102 and the other end part is open. An alternating-current bias is intermittently applied between the discharge electrode 125 and a counter electrode 126 provided so as to be separated from the long thin tube 102.

Methods to manufacture integrated circuits are described. Nanocrystalline diamond is used as a hard mask in place of amorphous carbon. Provided is a method of processing a substrate in which nanocrystalline diamond is used as a hard mask, wherein processing methods result in a smooth surface. The method involves two processing parts. Two separate nanocrystalline diamond recipes are combined—the first and second recipes are cycled to achieve a nanocrystalline diamond hard mask having high hardness, high modulus, and a smooth surface. In other embodiments, the first recipe is followed by an inert gas plasma smoothening process and then the first recipe is cycled to achieve a high hardness, a high modulus, and a smooth surface.

A plasma chemical vapor deposition system for growing diamond and diamond-like materials includes a process chamber having an exhaust port that is coupled to an input of a vacuum pump. A plasma generator generates a plasma in the process chamber. A cooling stage is positioned in the process chamber with a substrate holder positioned on a top surface that is configured to mount one or more substrates so they are exposed to the plasma generated by the plasma generator. The substrate holder defines a plenum having one or more portions. One or more pressure controllers are each configured to control a pressure in one of the first and second portion of the plenum so as to control a relative temperature of adjacent portions of the substrate holder.

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to deposition of high transparency, high-density carbon films for patterning applications. In one embodiment, a method of forming a carbon film on a substrate is provided. The method includes flowing a hydrocarbon-containing gas mixture into a process chamber having a substrate positioned on an electrostatic chuck, wherein the substrate is maintained at a temperature of about −10° C. to about 20° C. and a chamber pressure of about 0.5 mTorr to about 10 Torr, and generating a plasma by applying a first RF bias to the electrostatic chuck to deposit a diamond-like carbon film containing about 60% or greater hybridized sp.sup.3 atoms on the substrate, wherein the first RF bias is provided at a power of about 1800 Watts to about 2200 Watts and at a frequency of about 40 MHz to about 162 MHz.