Orientation degree characterization of diamond etched with Ce-7%Fe alloy

An increasing {110} orientation degree behavior was observed during etching of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond films by partially melting Ce-7%Fe alloys. In order to accurately investigate this phenomenon, the X-ray diffraction method was used to identify the changes in the surface crystal orientation of the diamond films etched by Ce-7%Fe alloys, and evolution of orientation along the growth direction of the un-etched diamond film was analyzed by electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD), and then the morphology of etched diamond surface was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the {110} orientation degree of diamond surface increased due to the anisotropy in diamond etching with Ce-7%Fe, which was verified by the etching “pit” in SEM micrographs.