A Novel Large Area Microwave Source for Diamond Thin Film Deposition

该计划的目标是开发一种新型大面积、薄膜、微波金刚石沉积反应器的原型。目前用于从气相中沉积薄金刚石和类金刚石薄膜的微波反应器仅限于小直径，通常为2-3“。获得更大面积薄膜的可能性将为这些具有独特的腐蚀、化学、电学、光学和硬度性能的涂层打开新的可能性。这类电影在各种市场上都有直接的商业应用。提出的反应堆设计利用微波等离子体形成的物理原理，产生空间上均匀的化学激发过程气体通量，到达生长薄膜的衬底。然而，为了实现这种均匀流动，必须对中性气体流体流动、等离子体产生和微波耦合进行仔细的建模，以便提供设计工具来改进原理样机的初步验证。在第一阶段，将开发这些建模工具，并创建原型设计工作图。在第二阶段，原型将被建造和优化。

The objective of the proposed program is to develop a prototype of a novel large area, thin film, microwave diamond deposition reactor. Present microwave reactors for the deposition of thin diamond and diamond-like films from the gas phase are limited to small diameters, typically 2-3". The possibility of achieving larger area thin films would open new possibilities for these coatings which possess unique corrosion, chemical, electrical, optical and hardness properties. There are direct commercial applications for such films in a variety of markets. The proposed reactor design exploits the physics of microwave plasma formation to generate a spatially uniform flux of chemically excited process gas to the substrate on which the thin film is grown. In order to attain this uniform flow, however, neutral gas fluid flows, plasma generation and microwave coupling must be carefully modeled in order to provide design tools with which to refine initial proof of principle prototypes. In Phase I these modeling tools would be developed and a prototype design working drawings created. In Phase II, the prototype would be built and optimized.