Nanodiffraction and HRTEM imaging of diamond in the first stages of the HFCVD deposition

Diamond nanocrystals have been detected on nanodiffraction patterns while they remain weak on High Resolution images. Simulations of HRTEM pictures have been performed using variable thicknesses of diamond and cubic silicon carbide layers within the range 0-24 nm. These simulations explain that nanodiffraction was the only way to detect diamond. However, the situation is quite different for a diamond film misoriented versus the substrate. The intensity of the lattice fringes increases by a factor of 20 for a slight misorientation of about 2° versus the [111] zone axis.