PHOTOLUMINESCENCE MAPPING OF OPTICAL DEFECTS IN HPHT SYNTHETIC DIAMOND

Photoluminescence (PL) mapping provides a means to identify the distribution of optical centers in diamond. To demonstrate the impact of this method on the field of gemology and the study of diamonds, photoluminescence maps were acquired from a laboratory-irradiated brownish orange HPHT synthetic diamond of mixed diamond type. Acquisition time for each PL map was less than four minutes. Analysis of the maps confirmed that optical centers are incorporated in diamond growth sectors, such as {111} octahedral, {100} cubic, {110} dodecahedral, and {113} trapezohedral. The remarkable correlation between optical defects and growth sectors in the sample demonstrates that highspeed photoluminescence mapping is ideal for rapidly determining the distribution of optical defects resulting from both diamond growth and treatments. We anticipate that this technique will allow gemological labs to continue to identify increasingly sophisticated synthetic diamonds and color treatments, helping to ensure consumer confidence in the diamond industry.