Combustion synthesis provides a number of advantages over plasma technologies in the growth of diamond films. An improved understanding of the flame and heterogeneous chemistry under very fuel rich conditions will provide the basis for future reactor designs. We have ongoing experimental and theoretical programs to study diamond synthesis in low pressure flames. The fabrication of microscopic features on silicon in the production of microelectronic devices requires an improved understanding of the transport and reactivity of gas-phase species in microscopic vias and trenches. In the synthesis of insulating layers such as silicon dioxide on patterned silicon, for example, or in the fabrication of metal interconnects, it is important to successfully predict the deposit profile evolution.
D students involved is given here.