Comparison of laser and thermal annealing of diamonds implanted with deuterium

Microstructural changes and annealing/graphitization processes induced by thermal annealing in vacuum at 200-1700 °C and by irradiation of a KrF excimer laser are studied in deuterium-implanted (doses 0.5-12×1016 cm−2) diamond single crystals and polycrystalline CVD diamonds. The specific features of D+ implanted samples-low critical doses, island-type graphitization and laser-induced explosive-like ablation-are discussed in terms of deuterium high reactivity and mobility in diamonds.