Superconductivity in diamond.

Superconductivity in diamond.

428, 542 (2004) | E. A. Ekimov¹, V. A. Sidorov¹², E. D. Bauer², N. N. Mel’nik³, N. J. Curro², J. D. Thompson², and S. M. Stishov¹
Diamond, known for its hardness and thermal conductivity, has been found to exhibit superconductivity when doped with boron. This discovery, reported in Nature, shows that boron-doped diamond synthesized under high pressure (8-9 GPa) and temperature (2,500–2,800 K) becomes a bulk, type-II superconductor with a transition temperature $ T_c \approx 4 $ K. Superconductivity persists in magnetic fields up to $ H_{c2}(0) \geq 3.5 $ T. The study confirms that superconductivity in diamond-structured carbon may also occur in silicon and germanium under appropriate conditions. Boron, with a smaller atomic radius, is easily incorporated into diamond, acting as a charge acceptor and creating a hole-doped system. Electrical transport studies show that low boron concentrations ($ n \approx 10^{17}-10^{19} $ cm$^{-3}$) result in semiconducting behavior, while higher concentrations ($ n \geq 10^{20} $ cm$^{-3}$) lead to metallic-like conductivity. However, no metallic-like behavior was observed at low temperatures for any available boron concentration. The study used high-pressure synthesis of boron-doped diamond, with boron content estimated at $ 2.8 \pm 0.5\% $. Resistivity measurements showed a sharp decrease below 4 K, indicating superconductivity. Magnetic susceptibility measurements confirmed a strong diamagnetic response, suggesting bulk superconductivity rather than filamentary. The upper critical field $ H_{c2}(0) $ was estimated at 3.4 T, and the Ginzburg-Landau coherence length was calculated as 100 Å. Specific heat measurements indicated a small anomaly near 2.3 K, consistent with superconductivity. Theoretical calculations suggest weak electron-phonon coupling, with a Debye temperature of 1,860 K for diamond, implying potential for higher $ T_c $ with carrier doping. This discovery highlights the potential of diamond and its doped variants for electronic applications, including microchips, electron emitters, and transistors. It also opens new avenues for studying superconductivity in group-IV semiconductors with the diamond structure. The results suggest that homogeneous doping of diamond with $ (4-5)\times10^{21} $ cm$^{-3} $ boron could produce sharp transitions near 4 K and upper critical fields above 4 T.Diamond, known for its hardness and thermal conductivity, has been found to exhibit superconductivity when doped with boron. This discovery, reported in Nature, shows that boron-doped diamond synthesized under high pressure (8-9 GPa) and temperature (2,500–2,800 K) becomes a bulk, type-II superconductor with a transition temperature $ T_c \approx 4 $ K. Superconductivity persists in magnetic fields up to $ H_{c2}(0) \geq 3.5 $ T. The study confirms that superconductivity in diamond-structured carbon may also occur in silicon and germanium under appropriate conditions. Boron, with a smaller atomic radius, is easily incorporated into diamond, acting as a charge acceptor and creating a hole-doped system. Electrical transport studies show that low boron concentrations ($ n \approx 10^{17}-10^{19} $ cm$^{-3}$) result in semiconducting behavior, while higher concentrations ($ n \geq 10^{20} $ cm$^{-3}$) lead to metallic-like conductivity. However, no metallic-like behavior was observed at low temperatures for any available boron concentration. The study used high-pressure synthesis of boron-doped diamond, with boron content estimated at $ 2.8 \pm 0.5\% $. Resistivity measurements showed a sharp decrease below 4 K, indicating superconductivity. Magnetic susceptibility measurements confirmed a strong diamagnetic response, suggesting bulk superconductivity rather than filamentary. The upper critical field $ H_{c2}(0) $ was estimated at 3.4 T, and the Ginzburg-Landau coherence length was calculated as 100 Å. Specific heat measurements indicated a small anomaly near 2.3 K, consistent with superconductivity. Theoretical calculations suggest weak electron-phonon coupling, with a Debye temperature of 1,860 K for diamond, implying potential for higher $ T_c $ with carrier doping. This discovery highlights the potential of diamond and its doped variants for electronic applications, including microchips, electron emitters, and transistors. It also opens new avenues for studying superconductivity in group-IV semiconductors with the diamond structure. The results suggest that homogeneous doping of diamond with $ (4-5)\times10^{21} $ cm$^{-3} $ boron could produce sharp transitions near 4 K and upper critical fields above 4 T.
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