Properties of Li doped diamond films, obtained by transmutation of B-10 into Li-7

B-10 doped diamond films grown by hot filament chemical vapor deposition were neutron irradiated for 4 weeks. The as-irradiated, and annealed samples, along with unirradiated samples, were analyzed using Raman, cathodoluminescence, and electrical conductivity measurements. The feasibility of the restoration of the quality of the irradiated films upon annealing was shown. The cathodoluminescence and electrical resistivity measurements showed that donor centers are formed during annealing in the irradiated samples. These donor levels may be Li atoms that move into interstitial sites of the lattice and become donors. The other possibility is the formation of donor levels owing to the interaction of Li atoms with some lattice defects induced by neuron irradiation. Prime novelty: transmutation doping of diamond using reaction B-10 (n, alpha) Li-7.