Effect of off-axis growth on dislocations in CVD diamond grown on {001} substrates

Abstract

Single crystal CVD synthetic diamond samples grown on substrates close to (001) have been studied using X-ray topography, photoluminescence imaging and Nomarski microscopy. The substrates used for this study were polished up to 15 degrees from (001). Nomarski images of the final growth surface have been compared with X-ray section topographs and photoluminescence images, both sampling a plane close to the surface of a (010) cross-sectional slice. The photoluminescence images provide evidence of the direction of step flow growth which was compared with the surface morphology. Samples grown on substrates polished off-(001) about [010] by greater than 10 degrees exhibit regions possessing both [001] and [101] dislocations as a result of on-axis and off-axis step flow growth respectively. Our previously published model suggests relatively low angle surface inclinations arising from risers are needed to switch dislocation direction from [001] to [101] line direction, and core energies per unit length suggest a minimum riser angle of 10 degrees is required. Samples grown on substrates polished greater than 10 degrees from (001) exhibit dislocations with a [101] line direction consistent with the model. Below this angle the dislocations do not switch line direction. Possible mechanisms influencing dislocation line direction via off-axis growth are discussed. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd 2011.