No, women cannot become deacons. Deacons receive the sacrament of holy orders, although to a lesser degree than priests or bishops. Since women cannot validly receive the sacrament of holy orders, they cannot be ordained deacons. During biblical times, some women who assisted in the spiritual and charitable activity of the early Church communities were called deaconesses, but there is no hint that they ever received the sacrament of holy orders. The Church eventually restricted the term deacon to apply to the ordained office alone.
