The first experimental evidence of hydrogen-boron interactions in boron-doped diamond was reported here. Deuterium diffusion studies in homo-epitaxial B-doped diamond films revealed that hydrogen diffusion was limited by the B concentration and was characterized by a low effective diffusion activation energy. Infrared spectroscopy experiments showed that boron acceptor electronic transitions disappeared under hydrogenation. These results were consistent with hydrogen ionization and diffusion of fairly mobile H+ which form pairs with B-.

Evidence of Hydrogen-Boron Interactions in Diamond from Deuterium Diffusion and Infrared Spectroscopy Experiments. Chevallier, J., Lusson, A., Theys, B., Deneuville, A., Gheeraert, E.: Diamond and Related Materials, 1999, 8[2-5], 278-82