CHARACTERIZATION OF DIAMOND DETECTORS PREPARED BY DC PLASMA GLOW-DISCHARGE CVD

We report on transport properties of CVD diamond films prepared by mea ns of a DC plasma glow discharge method. Continuous free-standing diam ond films have been obtained with good electrical properties by a prop er tuning of the deposition parameters. At growth rate as low as about 10-20 mu m/h we have no evidence of Raman features ascribed to non-di amond carbon phases. These films show very low leakage currents and re sistivities as high as 10(13) Ohm cm. The high resistivity samples sho w a clear evidence of a signal when exposed to a radiation. The I-T an alysis show that at high temperature (up to 400 degrees C) the conduct ion process is dominated by an impurity level, attribuited to isolated substitutional nitrogen. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights re served.