Electron behaviour in CH₄/H₂ gas mixture in electron-assisted chemical vapour deposition

The behaviour of electrons in CH_4/H_2 gas mixture in electron-assisted chemical vapour deposition of diamond is investigated using Monte Carlo simulation. The electron drift velocity in gas mixture is obtained over a wide range of E/P (the ratio of the electric field to gas pressure) from 1500 to 300000 (V/m kPa^-1). The electron energy distribution and average energy under different gas pressure (0.1－20kPa) and CH_4 concentration (0.5%－10.0%) are calculated. Their effects on the diamond growth are also discussed. It is believed that these results will be helpful to the selection of optimum experimental conditions for high quality diamond film deposition.