Diamond films have been deposited on (100) Si substrates through carburization, nucleation and growth steps using a microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. The surface morphologies of the films were investigated as a function of the carburization time. It is likely that the ball-like agglomerates observed on the carburized surface act as nucleation sites for diamond. We also found that the density of agglomerates is not dependent on the : carburization timer but their size increases with increasing carburization time. A cyclic process was applied during either the nucleation or the growth step. In general, the cyclic process leads to a decrease in the density of large agglomerates produced during the carburization step. Furthermore, the (100)-oriented texture growth is enhanced and the coverage area is increased by applying the cyclic process during nucleation.