Formation and crystal structure of metallic inclusions in a HPHT as-grown diamond single crystal

Abstract.

One of the most important characteristics associated with crystal growth technology is the entrapment of inclusions by the growing crystal. Diamond single crystals prepared under high temperature-high pressure (HPHT) usually contain metallic inclusions. In the present paper, metallic inclusions in a diamond grown from a Fe-Ni-C system using the HPHT method have been, for the first time, systematically examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) , combined with selected area electron diffraction (SAD) patterns, has been used to identify the chemical composition and crystal structure of the metallic inclusions. The metallic inclusions were found to be composed mainly of cubic γ-(FeNi), face-centered cubic (FeNi)₂₃C₆, ortho-rhombic Fe₃C and hexagonal Ni₃C, which may have been formed through the entrapment of molten catalyst by the growth front or through reaction of the trapped melt with contaminants in the diamond.