STUDY OF DEFECTS IN DIAMOND FILMS WITH ELECTRON-PARAMAGNETIC RESONANCE MEASUREMENTS

Defects in diamond thin films, deposited by the filament-assisted chemical vapor deposition process, were studied with electron spin resonance measurements. Depending on growth conditions the films exhibit electron paramagnetic resonance signals with g values of 2.0028 and 2.0019, peak-to-peak linewidths of 4-5 G and spin densities from 1017 to 1019 spins cm-3. These findings are discussed with a new theory, which predicts that certain defects can thermodynamically stabilize diamond over graphite. © 1992.