Effectiveness of a hot-filament chemical vapor deposition method for preparation of a boron-doped superconducting diamond film with higher superconducting transition temperature

We have investigated the effectiveness of a hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) method for preparation of a boron-doped superconducting diamond film with higher superconducting transition temperature (Tc). A boron-doped superconducting diamond film has been fabricated on a diamond (111) substrate using the HFCVD method, and studied by means of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and resistivity. The film consists of grains with an average size of 200mm. Analyses of valence band and boron 1s core-level XPS spectra indicate the formation of boron-doped diamond film on the substrate. From the resistivity measurements, the film is found to be a superconductor with onset Tc of 7.1K. Carrier concentration determined by Hall conductivity measurements is 1.1×1021cm−3. The value of Tc is higher compared with that in boron-doped superconducting diamond films prepared by a commonly used microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) method, at the same carrier concentration [A. Kawano et al., Phys. Rev. B 82 (2010) 085318]. The result of higher Tc in the film by the HFCVD method is consistent with the previous one [Wang et al., Diamond Relat. Mater. 15 (2006) 659], suggesting that the HFCVD method is effective for preparation of boron-doped superconducting diamond films showing higher Tc.