Conductivity of boron-doped polycrystalline diamond films: influence of specific boron defects

• Published in: The European physical journal. B, Condensed matter physics Condensed matter physics, 2013-10, Vol.86 (10), Article 443
• Main Authors: Ashcheulov, P., Šebera, J., Kovalenko, A., Petrák, V., Fendrych, F., Nesládek, M., Taylor, A., Vlčková Živcová, Z., Frank, O., Kavan, L., Dračínský, M., Hubík, P., Vacík, J., Kraus, I., Kratochvílová, I.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Complex Systems; Condensed Matter Physics; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Electronic transport in condensed matter; Exact sciences and technology; Fluid- and Aerodynamics; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Regular Article; Scattering by point defects, dislocations, surfaces, and other imperfections (including kondo effect); Solid State Physics; Theory of electronic transport; scattering mechanisms
• ISSN: 1434-6028; 1434-6036
• DOI: 10.1140/epjb/e2013-40528-x

The resistivity of boron doped polycrystalline diamond films changes with boron content in a very complex way with many unclear factors. From the large number of parameters affecting boron doped polycrystalline diamond film’s conductivity we focused on the role of boron atoms inside diamond grains in terms of boron contribution to the continuum of diamond electronic states. Using a combination of theoretical and experimental techniques (plane-wave Density Functional Theory, Neutron Depth Profiling, resistivity and Hall effect measurements, Atomic Force Microscopy and Raman spectroscopy) we studied a wide range of B defect parameters — the boron concentration, location, structure, free hole concentration and mobility. The main goal and novelty of our work was to find the influence of B defects (structure, interactions, charge localisation and spins) in highly B-doped diamonds — close or above the metal-insulator transition – on the complex material charge transport mechanisms.