Electronic properties of particle-counting diamonds - Electronic properties of particle-counting diamonds I. Photoconductivity

Abstract

An account is given of an experimental investigation into the photoconductivity of particle-counting diamonds at room temperature and at 80 °K. Photoconduction spectra were obtained in the range 2500 to 200 nm which are typical of type la diamonds. The room temperature spectra are characterized by a system of eight photoconduction peaks. The peaks are attributed to the intrinsic absorption, the thermal decomposition of excitons and the excitation of three levels in the forbidden energy gap at 0-85, 1.45 and 2.2 eV from the valence band. This model is consistent with the known electro-optical properties of type la diamonds. The model is formulated mathematically and formally shown to predict the observed photoconduction responses of the diamonds to certain characteristic illuminations.