A study of the structural, optical, and electronic properties of diamond nanoparticles

We present extended results on the structure and optical properties of nanometer-size (10-100 nm) diamond particles. Samples were grown on silicon substrates by hot-filament assisted chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) and characterized by using AFM, SEM, Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies [1, 2]. AFM and SEM measurements show that the samples contain particles ranging in diameter from 10 to 100 nm. The Raman spectroscopy data confirm through the $\sim $ 1332 cm$^{-1}$ characteristic line that the samples contain diamond nanoparticles. We examine details of the Raman spectra (asymmetrical shape and shift from the 1332 cm$^{-1}$ line) and correlations of these features with the properties of diamond nanoparticles [3]. The PL spectra show bands arising from structural defects in the Si/SiO$_{2}$ substrate and diamond nanoparticles. \\[4pt] [1] S. C. Sharma et al., J. Materials Research, \textbf{5}, 2424 (1990)\\[0pt] [2] R. Chakraborty, K. LaRoque, and S. C. Sharma, TSAPS, D1.00023, October (2009)\\[0pt] [3] A. Stacey, I. Aharonvich, S. Prawer, J. E. Butler, Diam and Rel. Maters. \textbf{18}, 51 (2009)