Current problems in diamond: towards a quantitative understanding

This paper discusses three major areas of current work on the properties of point defects in diamond: attempting to introduce a shallow donor centre, studying the role of transition metals, and achieving a quantitative understanding of radiation effects. Recent work on the first two topics is surveyed briefly. Published and new data on the problem of radiation damage are discussed in terms of: measuring the concentrations of the vacancy-related and self-interstitial centres; isotope effects on the vacancy and interstitial centres, including the identification of the self-interstitial 1.859 eV line as a vibrational feature; the rate of production of damage, including the influence of the nitrogen impurity; and the radiation-induced reactions. Some of the problems arising from the lack of current information are highlighted. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.