Growth of 4″ diameter polycrystalline diamond wafers with high thermal conductivity by 915 MHz microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition

Polycrystalline diamond (PCD)films 100 mm in diameter are grown by 915 MHz microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) at different process parameters, and their thermal conductivity (TC)is evaluated by a laser flash technique (LFT)in the temperature range of 230–380 K. The phase purity and quality of the films are assessed by micro-Raman spectroscopy based on the diamond Raman peak width and the amorphous carbon (a-C)presence in the spectra. Decreasing and increasing dependencies for TC with temperature are found for high and low quality samples, respectively. TC, as high as 1950±230 W m⁻¹K⁻¹ at room temperature, is measured for the most perfect material. A linear correlation between the TC at room temperature and the fraction of the diamond component in the Raman spectrum for the films is established.