Quantitative analysis of diamond deposition reactor efficiency

Graphical abstract: Surface H atom densities in a diamond deposition plasma reactor and the highest predicted value (black line). A 350 μm diamond crystal grown at 70 μm/h. Highlights: ► Electron temperature measurement at high pressure in diamond deposition reactor. ► H-atom density measurements at high pressure and high power in diamond deposition reactor. ► Surface H-atom density measurements at high pressure and high power in diamond deposition reactor. ► Microwave cavity based reactor efficiency compared to others reactors. - Abstract: Optical emission spectroscopy has been used to characterize diamond deposition microwave chemical vapour deposition (MWCVD) plasmas operating at high power density. Electron temperature has been deduced from H atom emission lines while H-atom mole fraction variations have been estimated using actinometry technique, for a wide range of working conditions: pressure 25–400 hPa and MW power 600–4000 W. An increase of the pressure from 14 hPa to 400 hPa with a simultaneous increase in power causes an electron temperature decrease from 17,000 K to 10,000 K and a H atom mole fraction increase from 0.1 to up to 0.6. This last value however must be considered as an upper estimate due to some assumptions made as well as experimental uncertainties.