Identification of Pink-Coloured CVD Synthetic Diamonds from Huzhou Sino-C Semiconductor Co. in China

Abstract

In recent years, increasing numbers of pink-coloured CVD synthetic diamonds have appeared on the market. One of the major sources is Huzhou SinoC Semiconductor Science and Technology Co., Ltd., Zhejiang province of China. In this article, seven pink-coloured CVD-grown diamonds produced in the last two years by Huzhou have been investigated and identified, including their gemological and spectroscopic characteristics. In DiamondView, they fluoresced orange–red, with an obscure striated growth structure, which is common for CVD synthetics. The mid-IR absorption spectra of these samples showed some single nitrogen and hydrogen-related features (1130, 1344, 3123, 3323 cm−1), which indicated that the diamonds were type Ib and were CVD-grown diamonds. The H1a defect annealed out at approximately 1400 °C, whereas the 3107 cm−1 defect was produced by annealing above 1700 or 1800 °C. This implied that the samples had undergone two separate heat treatments: first, a high-temperature anneal (possibly an HPHT treatment to reduce any brown colour), which would have produced the 3107 cm−1 defects and a small number of A centres, followed by irradiation, followed by annealing above 800 °C to make the vacancies mobile. The UV–Vis–NIR absorption spectra showed distinct NV-related features (575 and 637 nm), the main reason for the pink colour. Photoluminescence spectra obtained at liquid nitrogen temperature recorded radiation-related emissions (388.9, 503.5 nm), a strong N-V centre, H3 and H2 defects, and many unassigned emissions. These pink CVD products can be separated from natural and treated pink-coloured diamonds by a combination of optical spectroscopic properties, such as fluorescence colour, and absorption features in the infrared and UV–Vis regions.