Comparative measurement of residual stress in diamond coatings by low-incident-beam-angle-diffraction and micro-Raman spectroscopy

Abstract

Two experimental techniques for the quantitative measurement of residual stress in thin polycrystalline diamond coatings have been developed. The x-ray low-incident-beam-angle-diffraction (LIBAD) allows one to measure the lattice strain with well-defined in-depth information, while micro-Raman spectroscopy permits one to accurately measure the frequencies of the zone-center optical phonons of diamond which are related to the lattice strain. The interpretation of the measured information in terms of residual stress is outlined for both techniques. The residual stress data obtained by either method in thin CVD diamond coatings were found to be in excellent agreement. The sign and magnitude of the balanced biaxial stress in the coating plane depend mainly on the substrate material used for the diamond deposition. Compressive stress was present in diamond coatings deposited on WC-Co substrates, whereas tensile stress was found in those on SiAlON substrates.