Methods for coating adherent diamond films on cemented tungsten carbide substrates

A cemented tungsten carbide substrate is prepared for coating with a layer of diamond film by subjecting the substrate surface to be coated to a process which first removes a small amount of the tungsten carbide at the surface of the substrate while leaving the cobalt binder substantially intact. Murakami's reagent is presently preferred. The substrate is then subjected to a process which removes any residue remaining on the surface as a result of the performance of the process which removes the tungsten carbide. A solution of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide is presently preferred.A diamond coated cemented tungsten carbide tool is formed using an unpolished substrate, which may be prepared by etching as described above or by etching in nitric acid prior to diamond film deposition. Deposition of a substantially continuous diamond film may be accomplished by reactive vapor deposition, thermally assisted (hot filament) CVD, plasma-enhanced CVD, or other techniques.