Graphene
on diamond has been attracting considerable attention
due to the unique and highly beneficial features of this heterostructure
for a range of electronic applications. Here, ultrahigh-vacuum X-ray
photoelectron spectroscopy is used for in situ analysis
of the temperature dependence of the Ni-assisted thermally induced
graphitization process of intrinsic nanocrystalline diamond thin films
(65 nm thickness, 50–80 nm grain size) on silicon wafer substrates.
Three major stages of diamond film transformation are determined from
XPS during the thermal annealing in the temperature range from 300 °C
to 800 °C. Heating from 300 °C causes removal of oxygen;
formation of the disordered carbon phase is observed at 400 °C;
the disordered carbon progressively transforms to graphitic phase
whereas the diamond phase disappears from the surface from 500 °C.
In the well-controllable temperature regime between 600 °C and
700 °C, the nanocrystalline diamond thin film is mainly preserved,
while graphitic layers form on the surface as the predominant carbon
phase. Moreover, the graphitization is facilitated by a disordered
carbon interlayer that inherently forms between diamond and graphitic
layers by Ni catalyst. Thus, the process results in formation of a
multilayer heterostructure on silicon substrate.