Diamond(001) single-domain 2×1 surface grown by chemical vapor deposition

Diamond homoepitaxial films were grown on an off-angle (001) substrate with a misorientation of 4.3° toward the [110] direction by microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition from a methane-hydrogen gas mixture. The single domain 2×1 surface was observed by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and scanning tunneling microscopy, after growth with methane concentration of 2%. With a methane concentration of 6%, the LEED superstructure spot intensity from another domain increased, suggesting a higher rate of two-dimensional nucleation.