Spectroscopy of defects and transition metals in diamond

This article reviews the optical and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies that have been carried out on diamonds containing nickel-related or cobalt-related defect centres. It is shown that this work is now at a stage where a real understanding may be reached about the nature of the defects and the inter-relationships between the optical and EPR phenomena. The behaviour of the transition metals is strongly influenced by the presence of other defects, and the properties of nitrogen, boron, phosphorus, the vacancy and the self-interstitial are briefly considered as a background to the main review. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.