What does CVD diamond look like?
A. CVD diamond is synthesised as plates of material, perhaps as large as 140mm in diameter and as thick as 2mm! This “as-synthesised” (or “as-grown”) material is not generally suitable for use in its raw form and requires shaping and finishing. Consequently, most commercially available CVD diamond has been processed in some way or another to give it the right size and surface for the application it is intended for. For example, CVD diamond used for laser windows is highly polished on both sides to optical component tolerances. A scanning Electron Microscope picture of the as grown surface of a CVD diamond layer In its as-grown state, when removed from the deposition apparatus, CVD diamond has two surfaces of importance: the growth surface, which is characterised by a faceted structure of well-intergrown diamond crystals ranging in size up to hundreds of microns across (dependent on the grade of CVD diamond produced) and a nucleation surface composed of very fine-grained diamond crystal
