Determination of the phosphorus content in diamond using cathodoluminescence spectroscopy

In n-type diamond doped with phosphorus, exciton properties have been investigated by cathodoluminescence as a function of the phosphorus concentration and the temperature. The homoepitaxial diamond layers were grown by microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition and doped using a liquid organic precursor of phosphorus (tertiarybutylphosphine). The phosphorus concentration ranges from 5.2×1016 to 3.3×1018 cm−3 as measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry. It is shown that the ratio between the luminescence intensities of the neutral phosphorus-bound exciton and the free exciton follows the dopant concentration. Calibration graphs are presented to determine the phosphorus contents in diamond using cathodoluminescence spectroscopy.