Centres involving two vacancies in diamond

Conference item

Electron and neutron irradiation of diamond produces a wide variety of different EPR defect centres. The definitive establishment of the vacancy (neutral and negatively charged), the nearest neighbour di-vacancy (R4/W6) and a nearest neighbour pair of [100] split interstitials (Ri) form some starting points, from which to begin to understand what some of the other centres are; by comparison of C-13 hyperfine interactions, and by studying changes in relative concentrations after isochronal annealing. The concentration of R4/W6 rises at temperatures below those at which vacancies are mobile and the intensity of GR1 begins to fall. This suggests that other centres, present at lower temperatures, involve a pair of vacancies, as well as interstitials. and that when they anneal out, they lose the interstitial and end up as R4/W6. Speculations are made about some of these unidentified centres.

Authors: Baker, M; Hunt, D; Newton, M; Twitchen, D

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: RADIATION EFFECTS AND DEFECTS IN SOLIDS
• Volume: 149
• Issue: 1-4
• Pages: 233-237
• Publication date: 1999-01-01
• Event title: 8th Europhysical Conference on Defects in Insulating Materials (EURODIM98)
• DOI: 10.1080/10420159908230160
• EISSN: 1029-4953
• ISSN: 1042-0150
• Keywords: diamond; di-vacancies; electron irradiation induced defects; EPR