The p-to-n-type conversion of boron-doped diamond layers by deuteration: New findings

The p-to-n-type conversion of particular B-doped homoepitaxially grown diamond layers upon deuterium plasma treatment was discovered three years ago. However, many questions regarding the reproducibility of the effect for samples of different origins remain unanswered up to now, in particular the role of the electrical contacts and the possibility of a surface inversion layer being responsible for the n-type conductivity, the thermal stability and origin of the donor.