Local boron environment in B-doped nanocrystalline diamond filmsElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c2nr31530k

Thin films of heavily B-doped nanocrystalline diamond (B:NCD) have been investigated by a combination of high resolution annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy and spatially resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy performed on a state-of-the-art aberration corrected instrume...

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Main Authors: Turner, Stuart, Lu, Ying-Gang, Janssens, Stoffel D, Da Pieve, Fabiana, Lamoen, Dirk, Verbeeck, Jo, Haenen, Ken, Wagner, Patrick, Van Tendeloo, Gustaaf
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Thin films of heavily B-doped nanocrystalline diamond (B:NCD) have been investigated by a combination of high resolution annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy and spatially resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy performed on a state-of-the-art aberration corrected instrument to determine the B concentration, distribution and the local B environment. Concentrations of ∼1 to 3 at.% of boron are found to be embedded within individual grains. Even though most NCD grains are surrounded by a thin amorphous shell, elemental mapping of the B and C signal shows no preferential embedding of B in these amorphous shells or in grain boundaries between the NCD grains, in contrast with earlier work on more macroscopic superconducting polycrystalline B-doped diamond films. Detailed inspection of the fine structure of the boron K-edge and comparison with density functional theory calculated fine structure energy-loss near-edge structure signatures confirms that the B atoms present in the diamond grains are substitutional atoms embedded tetrahedrally into the diamond lattice. The boron concentration, distribution and local boron environment in nanocrystalline diamond films is investigated by spatially resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy.
ISSN:2040-3364
2040-3372
DOI:10.1039/c2nr31530k