Investigation of Diamond Films Deposited on LaAIO₃ Single Crystal Substrates by Hot Filament Chemical Vapor Deposition

Diamond nucleation and growth on a LaAIO₃ single crystal substrate, whose lattice mismatch with diamond is only 7.2% at high temperature, were investigated for the first time. As an insulating substrate, a nucleation density of more than 10⁸ cm^-2 was achieved on ultrasonically cleaned wafers. A free-standing diamond film was obtained for 65 h growth and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show that LaAIO₃ single crystal is a good candidate substrate for diamond film growth.