• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.10 no.9
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• pp.593-600
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• 2000

This paper investigated the conduction path and conduction mechanism in undoped polycrystalline diamond thin films deposited by microwave chemical vapor deposition. The resistances measured by ac impedance spectroscopy with different directions can not be explained by the previously-known surface conduction model. The electrodeposition of Cu and electroetching of Ag experiments showed that the conduction path is the grain boundaries within the diamond films. The electodeposition of Cu with an insulating surface layer further proved that the main conduction path in polycrystalline films in the grain boundaries. The film with high electrical conductivity has low activation energy of 45meV and higher dangling bond density. By considering the results and surface C chemical bonds, the H-C-C-H bonds at surface and in grain boundaries might be the origin of high conductivity in undoped diamond films.