Copper-induced diamond formation in amorphous carbon

Diamond formation in hydrogenated amorphous-carbon films containing ultradisperse copper has been studied by measuring IR absorption at two-phonon diamond frequencies. The anomalously high two-phonon absorption observed in the experiments has permitted improving the sensitivity of the method. Mechanisms of the two-phonon absorption enhancement are discussed in terms of the theory of a medium containing nanosized copper-doped graphite fragments. It is shown that the observed enhancement of two-phonon absorption is caused by electrical induction of the local fields induced by irradiation in diamond nanocrystals acting on adjoining copper-doped graphite fragments. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 1863–1866 (October 1999)