Quasi-two-dimensional diamond crystals: Deposition from a gaseous phase and structural–morphological properties

Diamond films predominantly consisting of plane micrometer-size crystallites with a thickness of several dozen nanometers have been deposited from a methane–hydrogen gas mixture activated by a dc gas discharge. The crystallite structure has been studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy and diffraction. A possible mechanism of formation of plane crystallites during deposition of diamond from the gas phase has been discussed. It has been shown that the results agree with the theoretical concepts of formation of crystals with a face-centered cubic lattice.