Resistance of diamond (100) to hyperthermal atomic oxygen attack

The morphology of polycrystalline chemical vapor deposited (CVD) diamond films following the interaction with hyperthermal (∼5 eV) atomic oxygen (AO) was studied by atomic force microscopy. Selective etching of the (111) diamond facets occurred, while the (100) facets showed high endurance. The observed phenomenon is associated with the AO chemisorption energies on the various diamond facets. Only facets having an AO chemisorption energy lower than that of the incident AO were etched. AO is the dominant neutral component of the low-Earth-orbital environment; therefore, highly durable materials for space applications may be produced by utilizing diamond directional growth.