Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy method and studies of implant damage in single crystal diamond

Few transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies of single crystal diamond have been reported, most likely due to the time and difficulty involved in sample preparation. A method is described for creating a TEM cross section of single crystal diamond using a focused ion beam and in situ lift-out. The method results in samples approximately 10μm long by 3μm deep with an average thickness of 100–300nm. The total time to prepare a cross-sectional TEM sample of diamond is less than 5h. The method also allows for additional thinning to facilitate high resolution TEM imaging, and can be applied to oddly shaped diamond samples. This sample preparation technique has been applied to the study of ion implantation damage in single crystal diamond and its evolution upon annealing. High-pressure–high-temperature diamonds were implanted with Si+ at an energy of 1MeV and a temperature of 30°C. One sample, with a (110) surface, was implanted with a dose of 1×1014Sicm−2 and annealed at 950°C for 10 and 40min. No signifi...