First Plasma Atomic Layer Etching of Diamond via O$_2$/Kr Chemistry

TL;DR

This paper introduces the first plasma atomic layer etching process for diamond using a cyclic O$_2$/Kr plasma sequence, achieving atomic-scale precision and damage-free surfaces, advancing nanoscale diamond processing.

Contribution

It presents a novel plasma ALE method for diamond with self-limiting behavior and controlled etch depth, enabling damage-free, atomic-scale material removal.

Findings

Achieved etch depth of 6.85 Å per cycle

Surface roughness reduced after etching

Diamond bonding structure preserved, damage-free etching

Abstract

We report the first plasma atomic layer etching (ALE) process for diamond using a cyclic plasma sequence composed of two separated steps: oxygen surface modification and krypton ion removal. The process is implemented in an inductively coupled plasma reactor using alternating O$_2$ plasma exposure and low-energy Kr ion bombardment. This cyclic process exhibits the characteristic self-limiting behavior of ALE and enables controlled material removal with atomic-scale precision. An etch depth per cycle of \SI{6.85}{\angstrom} was achieved. Surface analysis reveals that the etched diamond surfaces exhibit lower roughness than the pristine material, while XPS confirms the preservation of the diamond bonding structure and indicates essentially damage-free etching. These results demonstrate that plasma ALE based on O$_2$/Kr chemistry provides a viable route toward damage-controlled nanoscale processing of diamond, opening new opportunities for advanced device fabrication in power electronics, photonics, quantum sensing and quantum computing technologies.