Structural and electrical properties of nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) heavily doped by nitrogen

Gas mixtures containing up to 40% nitrogen by volume and 1% CH4 with the balance being argon have been used for the deposition of nitrogen doped nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films by means of microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (MPECVD). The CVD plasma was monitored by optical emission spectroscopy to reveal the plasma species, e.g., CN molecules, as a function of the nitrogen additive. Structural properties of the deposited NCD films were studied by FESEM and Raman spectroscopy. Effects of nitrogen doping on the electrical resistivity and electron field emission characteristics of the NCD films were measured. In this work, correlation between the structural and electrical properties of NCD films and the nitrogen additive to the CVD plasma will be presented and discussed.