A percolation theory approach to the implantation induced diamond to amorphous-carbon transition

The physical fact that diamond is electrically insulating while amorphous carbon and graphite are conducting is used in the present work to study the local damage that each implanted ion creates around its track and to conclude about the processes through which implanted diamond turns amorphous. Experimental data for the conductivity of Sb implanted diamond for various geometries, energies and doses are analyzed by the use of percolation theory. It seems that the amorphization of implanted diamond proceeds gradually with no well defined amorphous regions formed around the ion track. Amorphization in implanted diamond seems to occur in a way different than is believed to be the case for implanted silicon, where some direct amorphization around an ion track is suggested. This major difference can be attributed to the abnormally large change in densities between diamond and amorphous carbon or graphite which suppresses the growth of local amorphous regions in diamond. (author)