Synthesis of diamond fine particles on levitated seed particles in a rf CH4/H2 plasma chamber equipped with a hot filament

The first successful growth of diamond layers on levitated seed particles in CH4/H2 plasma is presented. The particles were grown in a rf CH4/H2 plasma chamber equipped with a tungsten hot filament. The seed diamond particles injected in a plasma are negatively charged and levitated under the balance of several forces, and diamond chemical vapor deposition takes place on them. The SEM images show that the crystalline structures are formed after the coagulation of islands. The micro-Raman spectroscopy of the particle grown after several hours shows the clear peak assigned to diamond.