Effects of additive boron on HPHT diamond single crystals grown by TGM

Abstract

In this work, under pressure 5.4 GPa and temperature 1250-1400°C, large gem-diamond single crystals with perfect shape and different content of additive boron were synthesized using temperature gradient method. High-purity boron powders were added as boron source into the graphite powder, and the effects of additive boron on crystal growth habit were investigated in detail. The relationship between the growth rate and the amount of additive boron was studied. The scanning electron microscopy was employed to study the morphology of boron-doped diamond crystals. Raman spectroscopy and Hall measurements were used to investigate the crystal structures and the carrier concentration, respectively. The results show that with the increase of the content of boron added into graphite powder, the crystal growth rate and the carrier concentration increase firstly, and decrease afterwards, and the zone-center phonon line at 1332 cm 1 has small shift to lower energy. The defects occur on the crystal surface when excessive boron is added in the synthesis system. HPHT, boron-doped diamond, catalyst, carrier concentration