Defect-and-impurity state of type Ib diamond single crystals of cubic habit

Abstract

Type Ib diamond single crystals of size to 5–6 mm and to 2.4 carats in weight have been grown at high pressures and temperatures. The defect-and-impurity state and dislocation structures of these crystals have been studied using the IR and optical microscopies as well as the method of the selective etching. To produce type Ib crystals of cubic habit has been made possible by the minimization of the growing temperature. Defect regions in the form of a cone with the basis 0.2–1.8 mm in diameter and 0.5–2.5 mm in height are contained by these crystals. The study of the cone-shaped defect regions using the selective etching showed that at the exposure on the faces the etching pits are of the tetragonal shape and the dislocation density in them exceeds the density of dislocations in crystals that were grown under the usual conditions by 70 to 100 times. The observed defect regions are formed in the course of the diamond crystals growth as the temperature decreases by ~ 30–35°C at the crystallization front because of the increasing heat sink in the direction of a seed crystal.