Conductivity of boron-doped polycrystalline diamond films: influence of specific boron defects

Polycrystalline Diamond Thin Films for Advanced Applications

“…Furthermore, besides the relevant diamond properties, the suitability for applications also depends on various material parameters such as substrate nature, substrate dimensions, possibility of non-planar geometries, surface morphology, electrical conductivity, capability of device fabrication, electrochemical properties (given by the sp diamond films over single-crystalline form (low-cost, large area products), a variety of applications already available expanded beyond classical mechanical use of diamond. These include CVD polycrystalline diamond for optical, electronic and electrochemical applications, CVD diamond grades suitable for thermal management as well as PCD films for a number of further advanced applications [1][2][3][4][5][6].…”

“…In the study of Ashcheulov et al [4,5], the conductivity of BDD polycrystalline films that were synthesized by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition on quartz substrates was studied. Conductivity is a complex physical quantity and in the case of BDD films there are many parameters that influence charge transport: (i) size of the diamond grains-the conductance of BDD films containing bigger grains is higher than the conductance of BDD films containing smaller diamond grains (for the same B content), (ii) diamond grain boundaries, (iii) setting of B defects and specific morphology of the layer changed by B addition and (iv) diamond grain surface layer can have specific setting and concentration of B defects.…”

“…Conductivity is a complex physical quantity and in the case of BDD films there are many parameters that influence charge transport: (i) size of the diamond grains-the conductance of BDD films containing bigger grains is higher than the conductance of BDD films containing smaller diamond grains (for the same B content), (ii) diamond grain boundaries, (iii) setting of B defects and specific morphology of the layer changed by B addition and (iv) diamond grain surface layer can have specific setting and concentration of B defects. Boron-doped diamond is presently the subject of considerable interest as a promising electrode material [5]. This is a consequence of several technologically important properties that distinguish it from common electrode materials used in electrochemistry, such as gold or platinum.…”

“…Due to these unique characteristics, to date, BDD electrodes are employed in a vast array of electrochemical applications. Additionally, then doped with high concentration of boron atoms, BDD films possess metallic conductivity and can also be optimized for light transparency [4,5].…”

Diamond-based electrodes for organic photovoltaic devices

“…The spectra were excited by 488 nm laser radiation and offset for clarity. From table 2, which shows the electrical properties of the diamond samples grown at various B/C concentrations, it can be seen that, at the 4000 ppm B/C ratio, the concentration of carriers saturates its maximum value, which can be explained by the dominant formation of boron-boron centers, as discussed in [37] as well as observed on the Raman spectra (figure 2) -the B-B peak increases both with B/C concentration and layer thickness. The drop in carrier mobility for sample № 12 can be explained by the increasing concentration of scattering centers (defects) different from the regular B acceptors.…”