Interactive Raman spectra of adamantane, diamantane and diamond, and their relevance to diamond film deposition

Laser Raman spectra have been obtained for crystalline adamantane, diamantane, and natural type II diamond, as well as for a diamond film grown by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). The spectra are presented in JCAMP format to allow on-line interaction with the data by the reader, and 3D structure animations are presented showing the most probable vibrational mode causing each peak in the various spectra. The spectra are compared to those often seen from CVD diamond films, and which contain peaks that have previously been assigned to 'nanophase' diamond. Although there is a superficial correlation between the peak positions for the polymantanes and those seen in CVD diamond, the conclusion is that the nanophase diamond peaks are not an intrinsic vibrational mode of a polymantane, but instead must be a result of some other aspect of the nanophase scale of the films, such as surface modes.