ABSTRACT
Combustion synthesis is one of the competing chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technologies for diamond film growth. It was first discovered in 1988 by Hirose and Kondo [1], who realized that acetylene flames produce copious amounts of atomic hydrogen and hydrocarbon radicals that are required for diamond growth. The discovery was subsequently confirmed at the Naval Research Laboratory [2] and has become the subject of intense study. It has been argued that combustion synthesis is the most flexible of the CVD alternatives because of its scalable nature, minimal utility requirements, and significantly reduced capital costs relative to plasma-aided processes [3]. In this chapter the development of combustion CVD will be reviewed from its inception using conventional welding torches to its present implementation with flat flame burners. The key experimental parameters and their impact on deposition are discussed in detail. The chemistry of combustion diamond CVD is discussed, highlighting studies that employed in situ diagnostics and detailed reactor modeling. Finally, combustion synthesis is contrasted with other CVD techniques in terms of both processing and economics.
