NANO-CRYSTALS OF <font>c</font>-DIAMOND, <font>n</font>-DIAMOND AND <font>i</font>-CARBON GROWN IN CARBON-ION IMPLANTED FUSED QUARTZ

Abstract

Combined high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction and parallel electron energy loss spectroscopy are used to characterise carbon nano-phases found embedded in fused quartz. These appear after implantation of 1 MeV carbon ions, followed by annealing in argon, oxygen and forming gas for 1 hour at 1100°C. For Ar, virtually all of the carbon diffuses out of the substrate with no observable carbon clusters for all doses studied. After annealing in oxygen, a crystalline CO x phase is identified at the end of range, following a dose of 5×10 17 C/cm 2 . Three nano-crystalline carbon phases, including diamond, appear after annealing in forming gas: these form a layer 170 nm beneath the fused quartz surface for all ion doses. The average size of these clusters and the corresponding phases depend on the ion dose; the smallest size of 5–7 nm diameter crystallise as fcc [Formula: see text] diamond following a dose of 0.5× 10 17 C/cm 2 , whereas clusters of 8–13 nm diameter, for a higher dose of 2× 10 17 C/cm 2 , have a [Formula: see text] modified phase of diamond known as n-diamond. The largest clusters, diameter 15–40 nm, for a dose of 5× 10 17 C/cm 2 , have the cubic P2 1 3 (or P4 2 32) structure known as i-carbon. These buried layered diamond and diamond-related materials may have applications for field emission and optical waveguide type devices.