  We present results for the measurement of $\phi$ meson production via its
charged kaon decay channel $\phi \to K^+K^-$ in Au+Au collisions at
$\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=62.4$, 130, and 200 GeV, and in $p+p$ and $d$+Au collisions
at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}=200$ GeV from the STAR experiment at the BNL Relativistic
Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) $\phi$ meson transverse
momentum ($p_{T}$) spectra in central Au+Au collisions are found to be well
described by a single exponential distribution. On the other hand, the $p_{T}$
spectra from $p+p$, $d$+Au and peripheral Au+Au collisions show power-law tails
at intermediate and high $p_{T}$ and are described better by Levy
distributions. The constant $\phi/K^-$ yield ratio vs beam species, collision
centrality and colliding energy is in contradiction with expectations from
models having kaon coalescence as the dominant mechanism for $\phi$ production
at RHIC. The $\Omega/\phi$ yield ratio as a function of $p_{T}$ is consistent
with a model based on the recombination of thermal $s$ quarks up to $p_{T}\sim
4$ GeV/$c$, but disagrees at higher transverse momenta. The measured nuclear
modification factor, $R_{dAu}$, for the $\phi$ meson increases above unity at
intermediate $p_{T}$, similar to that for pions and protons, while $R_{AA}$ is
suppressed due to the energy loss effect in central Au+Au collisions. Number of
constituent quark scaling of both $R_{cp}$ and $v_{2}$ for the $\phi$ meson
with respect to other hadrons in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{_{NN}}}$=200 GeV
at intermediate $p_{T}$ is observed. These observations support quark
coalescence as being the dominant mechanism of hadronization in the
intermediate $p_{T}$ region at RHIC.
