Characterization of the recovery of mechanical properties of ion-implanted diamond after thermal annealing

TL;DR

This study investigates how thermal annealing can restore the mechanical properties of diamond damaged by ion implantation, using AFM measurements to quantify the recovery of Young's modulus.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence of mechanical property recovery in ion-implanted diamond after thermal annealing using AFM characterization.

Findings

Thermal annealing effectively recovers the Young's modulus of ion-implanted diamond.

AFM beam-bending technique accurately measures mechanical property changes.

Ion-induced damage effects can be mitigated through thermal treatment.

Abstract

Due to their outstanding mechanical properties, diamond and diamond-like materials find significant technological applications ranging from well-established industrial fields (cutting tools, coatings, etc.) to more advanced mechanical devices as micro- and nano-electromechanical systems. The use of energetic ions is a powerful and versatile tool to fabricate three-dimensional micro-mechanical structures. In this context, it is of paramount importance to have an accurate knowledge of the effects of ion-induced structural damage on the mechanical properties of this material, firstly to predict potential undesired side-effects of the ion implantation process, and possibly to tailor the desired mechanical properties of the fabricated devices. We present an Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) characterization of free-standing cantilevers in single-crystal diamond obtained by a FIB-assisted lift-off technique, which allows a determination of the Young's modulus of the diamond crystal after the MeV ion irradiation process concurrent to the fabrication of the microstructures, and subsequent thermal annealing. The AFM measurements were performed with the beam-bending technique and show that the thermal annealing process allows for an effective recovery of the mechanical properties of the pristine crystal.