Laser-Assisted Formation of High-Quality Polycrystalline Diamond Membranes

A polycrystalline diamond film is grown on a 2 inch Si substrate using a microwave-plasma chemicalvapor-deposition technique. The high quality of the diamond films is confirmed by Raman spectra. A multiple-step procedure is used for local etching of the substrate to form the pattern of an array of 50 diamond membranes with the diameter in a range from 150 to 300 μ m. The morphology of the membranes is examined using scanning electron microscopy. The membranes obtained can be used as the base material for the fabrication of pressure sensors, X-ray detectors and scintillators, and in quantum optics as optical resonators for single-color centers in diamond.