Growth of carbon nanowalls on a SiO2 substrate by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

We investigated the growth process of carbon nanowalls (CNWs) on a SiO2 substrate by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD). It is revealed that the CNWs are grown at the fine-textured structure on the SiO2 and the growth process does not require the catalyst. The CNW initially has a semicircular shape. The height, thickness, and mesh size increase with growth time. It is found that the height of CNWs as a function of time obeys the square root law. Extremely high growth rate, approximately 10 mu m/h, is achieved, in contrast to previous studies.