Synthetic Single Crystal Diamond Research Articles

Development of embedded graphitic-sandwich structures in single-crystal synthetic diamond via ultrafast laser micromachining

We discuss the direct fabrication of embedded, graphitized features within high-purity, synthetic single-crystal diamond through ultrafast laser micromachining for the purpose of developing diamond-based capacitive structures. As an incorporating substrate, carbon in the form of highly pure synthetic diamond offers numerous advantageous physicochemical properties, including hardness, durability, optical transparency, and extremely high electrical resistance. On the other hand, graphitic carbon can exhibit exceptionally low electrical resistance. A simple sandwich structure of a thin sheet of diamond between two sheets of graphite could, therefore, form a simple plate-type capacitive structure. For a single structure consisting of 1 μm thick plates with areal dimensions of 5 × 1 mm2 and 1 μm gaps between plates, we estimate a capacitance of 240 pF, with a 3 kV/μm breakdown voltage in diamond. ∼2500 plates thus fabricated in a ∼5 × 5 × 1 mm3 diamond chip could, therefore, store ∼300 mJ of energy. To realize this kind of structure, we employ ultrafast laser micromachining with high numerical aperture focusing and precise positioning control to disrupt the crystalline matrix of a well-confined volume within single-crystal synthetic diamond, forming embedded graphitic features. Graphitized plate regions 1 μm thick with 1 μm separations can be fabricated in this manner, and empirical I–V measurements indicate resistances in the plates as low as ∼kΩ. We also address challenges involved with fabricating closely parallel, embedded graphitic plates in thick diamond substrates, including aberration, machining time, and cracking.

Development of a compact and portable diamond-based detection system for dosimetry and microdosimetry in ion beam therapy.

Ion beam therapy techniques have advanced significantly in the past two decades. However, the development of dosimetric verification methods has lagged. Traditional dosimetry, which offers a macroscopic view of the absorbed dose, fails to address the micrometric-scale stochastic effects crucial for understanding biological responses. To bridge this gap, microdosimeters are used to assess physical quantities correlated with radiation effects. This work reports on the design and testing of a novel detection system based on synthetic single crystal diamond. The system is capable of simultaneously performing dosimetric and microdosimetric characterizations of clinical ion beams. The detector incorporates two active components configured as diamond Schottky diodes, both integrated on a single crystal diamond substrate. In particular, one very small element (sensitive area 0.0078 mm2) was designed to evaluate microdosimetric metrics, while the other large one (sensitive area 4.2 mm2) was designed to measure the absorbed dose to water. Diamond detectors were characterized using the ion beam induced charge (IBIC) technique, employing a 1MeV protons microbeam. The IBIC map of the diamond detector shows two distinct sensitive areas with quite uniform sensitivity, well contained within the metallic contact regions. Dedicated front-end electronic circuits were designed and implemented for both the dosimetric and microdosimetric signals. These circuits, along with the integrated diamond detector, were embedded in an aluminum waterproof housing to minimize electronic interference. This configuration enables a compact, portable setup compatible with water phantoms. Laboratory tests with alpha particles yielded promising results, demonstrating stable and reproducible responses with a good signal-to-noise ratio.

High-performance oxygen terminated synthetic single crystal diamond detector for high gamma dose rate measurement

A high-performance oxygen terminated synthetic single crystal diamond (SCD) detector (4.5 × 4.5 × 0.5 mm3) is presented. The SCD detector exhibits an extremely low leakage current value of 0.29 pA/mm2 with an electric field of 0.3 V/μm. The charge collection spectrum measured with a238Pu source (5.48 MeV α-particles) irradiation shows that the electron and hole charge collection efficiency (CCE) reach as high as 99.1% and 98.9%, with an energy resolution as low as 2.87% and 2.53%, respectively, compared to Si detector. The SCD detector shows excellent radiation hardness and stability under 60Co γ-ray irradiation with a dose rate of 12.737 kGy/h at 150 V bias and is able to withstand a cumulative dose of up to at least 9.3 kGy. The detector output in current mode is linearly related to the dynamic dose rate (0.409 Gy/h-12.737 kGy/h). Similarly, the counting rate of the detector in counting mode exhibits a strong linear variation within the range of 2.6 mGy/h-1269.36 Gy/h. Our results fully indicate that our fabricated SCD detector can be potentially applied to harsh γ irradiation scenarios, which is of guiding significance on real-time dose monitoring.

Hall measurements on nitrogen-doped Ib-type synthetic single crystal diamonds at temperatures 550–1143 K

Synthetic nitrogen-doped diamond single crystals have various high-tech applications, but their electronic properties have not been sufficiently studied. In this research, we investigated temperature dependencies in the range T = (550–1143) K of the electrical resistivity and Hall mobility in synthetic single-crystal Ib-type diamonds doped with nitrogen during growth. A series of experimental samples were cut from diamond crystals grown by temperature gradient high-pressure high-temperature (TG-HPHT) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods. They contain (0.085–6.5) × 1019 cm−3 single substitutional nitrogen atoms (C-centers) as measured by optical spectrometry methods. The Hall mobility of free electrons decreases from 600 to 150 cm2 V−1 s−1 in the CVD grown sample with the lowest N content and from 300 to 100 cm2 V−1 s−1 in highly doped HPHT grown samples in the temperature range of 550–900 K. At T = (900–1100) K, the mobility decreases to 50 cm2 V−1 s−1 in highly doped samples. The activation energies of electrical conductivity Ea and impurity-to-band energies of nitrogen donors ED decrease with increasing N concentration in the ranges (1.55–1.32) and (1.63–1.33) eV, respectively. The lowest compensation ratio k ∼ 1% in the moderately doped CVD diamond is unique for n-type diamonds. Typical values of k in highly N-doped crystals are in the range of 10%–20%, facilitating the use of N-doped diamonds in durable high-temperature electronic devices.

The single crystal diamond-based diagnostic suite of the JET tokamak for 14 MeV neutron counting and spectroscopy measurements in DT plasmas

The Joint European Torus (JET) has recently conducted its second deuterium–tritium (DT) experimental campaign DTE2, providing unique opportunity for studying both physics and engineering aspects of nuclear fusion plasmas. This also allowed the exploitation of new diagnostics and technologies that were not available during the first JET DT campaign held in 1997. Among these new instruments, the enhancement projects of the JET nuclear diagnostics lead to the development and installation of synthetic single crystal diamond detectors along different collimated line of sights. This paper describes the single crystal diamond-based diagnostic suite of the JET tokamak and the enhanced 14 MeV neutron diagnostic capabilities in terms of neutron yield and high resolution neutron spectroscopy. The diamond characterization measurements and the calibration procedure at JET are shown, together with performance of the diamond based neutron spectrometer as 14 MeV neutron yield monitor which allows the separation of 2.5 MeV and 14 MeV neutrons in trace tritium plasmas. The first high-resolution 14 MeV neutron spectroscopy measurements in neutral beam injection-heated DT plasmas are presented, allowing thermal and non-thermal neutron component separation. Prospects for the diagnose of DT burning plasmas such as ITER and SPARC will be presented.

Diamond based integrated detection system for dosimetric and microdosimetric characterization of radiotherapy ion beams.

Ion beam therapy allows for a substantial sparing of normal tissues and higher biological efficacy. Synthetic single crystal diamond is a very good material to produce high-spatial-resolution and highly radiation hard detectors for both dosimetry and microdosimetry in ion beam therapy. The aim of this work is the design, fabrication and test of an integrated waterproof detector based on synthetic single crystal diamond able to simultaneously perform dosimetric and microdosimetric characterization of clinical ion beams. The active elements of the integrated diamond device, that is, dosimeter and microdosimeter, were both realized in a Schottky diode configuration featured by different area, thickness, and shape by means of photolithography technologies for the selective growth of intrinsic and boron-doped CVD diamond. The cross-section of the sensitive volume of the dosimetric element is 4mm2 and 1μm-thick, while the microdosimetric one has an active cross-sectional area of 100×100μm2 and a thickness of about 6.2μm. The dosimetric and microdosimetric performance of the developed device was assessed at different depths in a water phantom at the MedAustron ion beam therapy facility using a monoenergetic uniformly scanned carbon ion beam of 284.7MeV/u and proton beam of 148.7MeV. The particle flux in the region of the microdosimeter was 6·107 cm2 /s for both irradiation fields. At each depth, dose and dose distributions in lineal energy were measured simultaneously and the dose mean lineal energy values were then calculated. Monte Carlo simulations were also carried out by using the GATE-Geant4 code to evaluate the relative dose, dose averaged linear energy transfer (LETd ), and microdosimetric spectra at various depths in water for the radiation fields used, by considering the contribution from the secondary particles generated in the ion interaction processes as well. Dosimetric and microdosimetric quantities were measured by the developed prototype with relatively low noise (∼2keV/μm). A good agreement between the measured and simulated dose profiles was found, with discrepancies in the peak to plateau ratio of about 3% and 4% for proton and carbon ion beams respectively, showing a negligible LET dependence of the dosimetric element of the device. The microdosimetric spectra were validated with Monte Carlo simulations and a good agreement between the spectra shapes and positions was found. Dose mean lineal energy values were found to be in close agreement with those reported in the literature for clinical ion beams, showing a sharp increase along the Bragg curve, being also consistent with the calculated LETd for all depths within the experimental error of 10%. The experimental indicate that the proposed device can allow enhanced dosimetry in particle therapy centers, where the absorbed dose measurement is implemented by the microdosimetric characterization of the radiation field, thus providing complementary results. In addition, the proposed device allows for the reduction of the experimental uncertainties associated with detector positioning and could facilitate the partial overcoming of some drawbacks related to the low sensitivity of diamond microdosimeters to low LET radiation.

Growth mechanisms of interfacial carbides in solid-state reaction between single-crystal diamond and chromium

Interfacial bonding is one of the most challenging issues in the fabrication, and hence comprehensively influences the properties of diamond-based metal matrix composites (MMCs) materials. In this work, solid-state (S/S) interface reaction between single-crystal synthetic diamond and chromium (Cr) metal was critically examined with special attention given to unveil the role of crystal orientation in the formation and growth of interfacial products. It has been revealed that catalytically converted carbon (CCC) was formed prior to chromium carbides, which is counterintuitive to previous studies. Cr7C3 was the first carbide formed in the S/S interface reaction, aided by the relaxation of diamond lattices that reduces the interfacial mismatch. Interfacial Cr7C3 and Cr3C2 carbides were formed at 600 and 800 °C, respectively, with the growth preferred on diamond (100) plane, because of its higher density of surface defects than (111) plane. Interfacial strain distribution was quasi-quantitively measured using windowed Fourier Transform-Geometric Phase Analysis (WFT-GPA) analysis and an ameliorated strain concentration was found after the ripening of interfacial carbides. Textured morphologies of Cr3C2 grown on diamond (100) and (111) planes were perceived after S/S interface reaction at 1000 °C, which is reported for the first time. The underlying mechanisms of Cr-induced phase transformation on diamond surface, as well as the crystal orientation dependent growth of interfacial carbides were unveiled using the first-principles calculation. The formation and growth mechanisms of Cr3C2 were elucidated using TEM and XRD analyses. Finally, an approach for tailoring the interfacial microstructure between synthetic diamond and bonding metals was proposed.

Simulation of the response of a diamond-based radiation detector to ultra-short and intense high-energy electron pulses

Single-crystal synthetic diamond sensors have been widely used in radiation dosimetry and beam diagnostics. The foreseen harsh radiation environment in electron-positron colliders at the luminosity frontier requires a thorough investigation of diamond’s response to large radiation bursts, in particular, to intense high-energy electron pulses. In this article, a two-step numerical simulation approach (Sentaurus + LTspice) is proposed to explore this topic. The time response of the diamond detector is simulated using TCAD-Sentaurus while the transmission effect of the electronic circuit is taken into account using LTspice. Good agreement is observed between results of the numerical simulation and preliminary experimental data from detector’s exposure to high-energy sub-picosecond electron pulses, on both the amplitude and the shape of the induced signals. This simulation combination is a novel approach to designing and optimizing diamond detectors for radiation and beam loss monitoring in particle physics experiments.

Effect of Titanium and Molybdenum Cover on the Surface Restructuration of Diamond Single Crystal during Annealing.

Diamond is an important material for electrical and electronic devices. Because the diamond is in contact with the metal in these applications, it becomes necessary to study the metal-diamond interaction and the structure of the interface, in particular, at elevated temperatures. In this work, we study the interaction of the (100) and (111) surfaces of a synthetic diamond single crystal with spattered titanium and molybdenum films. Atomic force microscopy reveals a uniform coating of titanium and the formation of flattened molybdenum nanoparticles. A thin titanium film is completely oxidized upon contact with air and passes from the oxidized state to the carbide state upon annealing in an ultrahigh vacuum at 800 °C. Molybdenum interacts with the (111) diamond surface already at 500 °C, which leads to the carbidization of its nanoparticles and catalytic graphitization of the diamond surface. This process is much slower on the (100) diamond surface; sp2-hybridized carbon is formed on the diamond and the top of molybdenum carbide nanoparticles, only when the annealing temperature is raised to 800 °C. The conductivity of the resulting sample is improved when compared to the Ti-coated diamond substrates and the Mo-coated (111) substrate annealed at 800 °C. The presented results could be useful for the development of graphene-on-diamond electronics.

A Highly Versatile X-ray and Electron Beam Diamond Dosimeter for Radiation Therapy and Protection.

Radiotherapy is now recognized as a pillar in the fight against cancer. Two different types are currently used in clinical practice: (1) external beam radiotherapy, using high-energy X-rays or electron beams, both in the MeV-range, and (2) intraoperative radiotherapy, using low-energy X-rays (up to 50 keV) and MeV-range electron beams. Versatile detectors able to measure the radiation dose independently from the radiation nature and energy are therefore extremely appealing to medical physicists. In this work, a dosimeter based on a high-quality single-crystal synthetic diamond sample was designed, fabricated and characterized under low-energy X-rays, as well as under high-energy pulsed X-rays and electron beams, demonstrating excellent linearity with radiation dose and dose-rate. Detector sensitivity was measured to be 0.299 ± 0.002 µC/Gy under 6 MeV X-ray photons, and 0.298 ± 0.004 µC/Gy under 6 MeV electrons, highlighting that the response of the diamond dosimeter is independent of the radiation nature. Moreover, in the case of low-energy X-rays, an extremely low limit of detection (23 nGy/s) was evaluated, pointing out the suitability of the device to radiation protection dosimetry.

Thermal conductivity of pink CVD diamond: Influence of nitrogen-related centers

Thermal conductivity κ(T) of single-crystal CVD diamond lightly doped (about 3 ppm) with nitrogen has been measured at temperatures from 5.7 to 410 K. The sample was carefully characterized by optical absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy for the presence of impurities. Nine different optically active defects related with nitrogen, hydrogen, and silicon impurities have been identified and quantified. This pink-tint crystal showed a high thermal conductivity of 24.0±0.5 W cm−1 K−1 at room temperature, which is very close to the highest value ever measured at about 25 W cm−1 K−1 for diamonds of natural isotopic composition. At the same time, the κ(T) of the crystal showed strong suppression >10% at temperatures 6<T<120 K with a maximum decrease of 2.7 times at ≈40 K compared to high purity diamonds. This behavior of the conductivity is attributed to a phonon scattering by charge carriers bound to nitrogen-related impurity centers, which is ineffective, however, at room and higher temperatures. The κ(T) has been calculated within the model based on the Callaway theory taking into account the elastic phonon scattering off charge carriers (holes and electrons) in the ground states of doping centers, and a very good agreement between the measured and theoretical data has been achieved. The model also gives a good approximation to the experimental data for κ(T) given in the literature for synthetic and natural single-crystal diamonds.

On the Formation of Dense Arrays of Nitrogen–Vacancy Centers in Synthetic Single-Crystal Diamonds for Quantum Sensors

On the Formation of Dense Arrays of Nitrogen–Vacancy Centers in Synthetic Single-Crystal Diamonds for Quantum Sensors

Micro-scale abrasion investigations of single-crystal diamonds using nano-polycrystalline diamond wheels

A small grinding wheel of 3.2 mm in diameter was prepared from nano-polycrystalline diamond (NPD) obtained by direct conversion sintering under high pressure and high temperature. Using this NPD wheel as a grinding blade, a new useful method for investigating the micro-scale abrasive properties of single-crystal diamonds was developed. Since NPD has an extremely high hardness of about 130 GPa, the abrasive properties of various natural and synthetic single-crystal diamonds, whose hardness is usually around 70 to 125 GPa, can be appropriately evaluated. In addition, since the wheel diameter is very small, it is possible to measure the abrasion resistance in a minute region of several tens of μm in a diamond crystal. It was confirmed that the method can accurately evaluate the abrasive properties of minute regions of single-crystal diamonds using synthetic type IIa diamond. It was also demonstrated that it is possible to investigate how the abrasive properties of synthetic type Ib and natural type Ia diamonds change depending on the distribution of impurities or crystal defects in the crystals.

Towards tailorable interface microstructure through Solid-state interface reaction between synthetic diamond grits and sputtered Ni-Cr binary alloy

In this work, the solid-state (S/S) interface reaction between single-crystal synthetic diamond grits and binary Ni-Cr alloys has been comprehensively studied on (100) and (111) crystal planes using Raman spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, and XPS techniques, in combination with first-principles calculation. The early-stage interfacial chromium carbides formation was found to be dependent on crystal orientation of synthetic diamond, which can be explained by geometric optimization that explores the underlying catalytic mechanisms of Ni-Cr alloys on the relaxation and bonds construction of C atoms on (100) and (111) crystal planes of diamond. More importantly, a unique interfacial microstructure, namely a Ni-rich layer instead of interfacial carbides was formed directly on diamond surface of S/S reaction samples at 700 and 900 °C. In addition, the phase transformation between Ni-rich phase and chromium carbides formed in the S/S interface reaction between Ni-Cr alloy and synthetic diamond were comparatively examined at 700 and 900 °C and investigated through a careful TEM lattice mismatches analysis. Ultimately, a mechanism to tailor the S/S interface microstructure by simply designing alloy compositions and reaction temperatures was proposed with experimental validation.

Response of diamond detectors in ultra-high dose-per-pulse electron beams for dosimetry at FLASH radiotherapy

Objective. With increasing investigation of the so-called FLASH effect, the need for accurate real time dosimetry for ultra-high dose rates is also growing. Considering the ultra-high dose-per-pulse (DPP) necessary to produce the ultra-high dose rates for investigations of the FLASH effect, real time dosimetry is a major challenge. In particular, vented ionization chambers, as used for dosimetry in conventional radiotherapy, show significant deviations from linearity with increasing DPP. This is due to recombination losses in the sensitive air volume. Solid state detectors could be an alternative. Due to their good stability of the response with regard to the accumulated dose, diamond detectors such as the microDiamond could be suitable here. The aims of this work are to investigate the response of microDiamond and adapted microDiamond prototypes in ultra-high DPP electron beams, to understand the underlying effects and to draw conclusions for further detector developments. Approach. For the study, an electron beam with a DPP up to 6.5 Gy and a pulse duration of 2.5 μs was used to fulfill the conditions under which the FLASH effect was observed. As a dose rate-independent reference, alanine dosimeters were used. Main Results. It has been shown that the commercially available microDiamond detectors have limitations in terms of linearity at ultra-high DPP. But this is not an intrinsic limitation of the detector principle. The deviations from linearity were correlated with the series resistance and the sensitivity. It could be shown that the linear range can be extended towards ultra-high DPP range by reducing the sensitivity in combination with a low series resistance of the detectors. Significance. The work shows that synthetic single crystal diamond detectors working as Schottky photodiodes are in principle suitable for FLASH-RT dosimetry at electron linear accelerators.

Ion Microprobe Study of the Polarization Quenching Techniques in Single Crystal Diamond Radiation Detectors.

Synthetic single crystal diamond grown using the chemical vapor deposition technique constitutes an extraordinary candidate material for monitoring radiation in extreme environments. However, under certain conditions, a progressive creation of space charge regions within the crystal can lead to the deterioration of charge collection efficiency. This phenomenon is called polarization and represents one of the major drawbacks associated with using this type of device. In this study, we explore different techniques to mitigate the degradation of signal due to polarization. For this purpose, two different diamond detectors are characterized by the ion beam-induced charge technique using a nuclear microprobe, which utilizes MeV energy ions of different penetration depths to probe charge transport in the detectors. The effect of polarization is analyzed by turning off the bias applied to the detector during continuous or discontinuous irradiation, and also by alternating bias polarity. In addition, the beneficial influence of temperature for reducing the effect of polarization is also observed. Finally, the effect of illuminating the detector with light is also measured. Our experimental results indicate that heating a detector or turning off the bias, and then applying it during continuous irradiation can be used as satisfactory methods for recovering the CCE value close to that of a prepolarized state. In damaged regions, illumination with white light can be used as a standard method to suppress the strength of polarization induced by holes.

Dependence of static strength of large single crystals of synthetic diamond type and Ib octahedral habit after heat treatment on their size

This article focuses on the problem of using large single crystals of type Ib synthetic diamond in single crystal and drilling tools. According to the literature review for the use of large diamonds in drilling equipment relevant conditions. The is shown possible negative effects of the temperature load on the diamond single crystal. The is presented developed technique for estimating the static strength of large diamond single crystals. It has been shown that microcrystals in the form of octahedra and cubes are formed as a result of heat treatment on the surface of synthetic diamond single crystals. The results of studies of the strength of large single crystals of synthetic diamonds of millimeter size are shown. In contrast to the classical approach, when IIb crystals are used for the production of drilling equipment, we present Ib crystals because they are closer to natural diamond in terms of physical and mechanical properties. The static strength criterion was used to assess the strength. It has been shown that crystals with a size of 1000 ... 1100 μm have a higher value of static strength than crystals with a size of 1200 μm and larger.

Characteristics of microSilicon diode detector for electron beam dosimetry.

A microSilicon™ (PTW type 60023), a new unshielded diode detector succeeding Diode E (model 60017, PTW), was characterized for electron beam dosimetry and compared with other detectors. Electron beams generated from a TrueBeam linear accelerator were measured using the microSilicon, Diode E, and microDiamond synthetic single-crystal diamond detector. Positional accuracy of microSilicon was measured by data collected in air and water. The percent depth dose (PDD), off-center ratio (OCR), dose-response linearity, dose rate dependence, and cone factors were evaluated. The PDDs were compared with data measured using a PPC40 plane-parallel ionization chamber. The maximum variations of depth of 50% and 90% of the maximum dose, and practical depth among all detectors and energies were 0.9mm. The maximum variations of the bremsstrahlung dose among all detectors and energies were within 0.3%. OCR showed good agreement within 1% for the flat and tail regions. The microSilicon detector showed a penumbra width similar to microDiamond, whereas Diode E showed the steepest penumbra shape. All detectors showed good dose-response linearity and stability against the dose rate; only Diode E demonstrated logarithmic dose rate dependency. The cone factor measured with microSilicon was within ±1% for all energies and cone sizes. We demonstrated that the characteristics of microSilicon is suitable for electron beam dosimetry. The microSilicon detector can be a good alternative for electron beam dosimetry in terms of providing an appropriate PDD curve without corrections, high spatial resolution for OCR measurements and cone factors.

Surface and subsurface damage in 14 MeV Au ion-irradiated diamond

The effects of ion irradiation on the surface and the subsurface of synthetic diamonds were characterized by using optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, x-ray reflectivity, electron backscatter diffraction, and resistivity measurements. Irradiation experiments with 14 MeV Au6+ ions with fluences up to 2.4×1015 ions/cm2 were carried out on synthetic single crystal diamonds, grown either at high pressure or by chemical vapor deposition, and on polycrystalline samples with high boron concentrations. We show that the ion irradiation-induced changes to the surface and subsurface of diamonds are rather complex and, especially in the first few nanometers, more severe than generally considered. We establish a model describing the changes in density, defect concentration, topology, crystallinity, and bonding from the surface down to the first few micrometers of the irradiated diamond.

Integrating X-ray kV millimetric field dosimetry with a synthetic diamond detector into the treatment planning system commissioning of a preclinical irradiator.

Small animal irradiators are equipped with x-ray beams and cone collimators with millimeter dimensions to be used in preclinical research. The use of small fields in the kV energy range may require the application of energy-dependent, field size-dependent, or depth-dependent correction factors to the dosimetric data acquired for treatment planning system (TPS) commissioning purposes to obtain accurate dose values. Considering that these corrections are also detector dependent, the suitability of a synthetic single-crystal diamond detector for small-field relative dosimetry in a preclinical irradiator (220-kVp) was evaluated to avoid the necessity of applying correction factors during TPS commissioning. The detector response was assessed during the transition for field sizes ranging from 20×20mm2 to 3×3mm2 , using the small animal radiation research platform (SARRP). The percentage depth dose distributions (PDDs), lateral profiles and output factors (OFs) were measured. The PDDs for the synthetic diamond detector were compared to the distributions acquired using a small-volume microchamber (0.016cm3 ) and with Monte Carlo calculations using the MC3D in-house software package. The profiles and OFs were compared to the data from a silicon solid-state detector and to radiochromic film data provided by the manufacturer; for the OF determination, measurements made using a microchamber were added for comparison. The performance of several detectors used as references was previously validated for relative dosimetry in preclinical irradiators. A commercial TPS was commissioned for the factor-based algorithm, using the data acquired with the diamond detector, and no additional correction factors were applied. To verify the performance of the TPS and the accuracy of the dosimetric methodology, radiochromic film irradiation in water was conducted, and two-dimensional (2D) dose distributions in the coronal and axial planes were compared under different gamma criteria. Compared with the microchamber and MC3D distributions, the agreement of the PDDs using the synthetic diamond detector was better than 2%. The profile data exhibited very good agreement compared with the data from the silicon detector, with an average and a maximum difference of 0.31 and 0.39mm in the penumbras, respectively. Compared with the data from the radiochromic film, the average and maximum differences were equal to 0.77 and 0.89mm, respectively. Very good agreement, within 1%, was obtained between the OFs measured with the synthetic diamond detector and the radiochromic film, compared only for the cone collimators. The validation of the TPS commissioning using gamma criteria compared to film showed an average passing rate of 100% and 93.2% with a global gamma criterion of 1mm/3% for the coronal and axial planes, respectively, including the 3×3mm2 field size and penumbra regions. Synthetic diamond is a suitable detector for the complete relative dosimetry of small x-ray fields. The commissioning of the TPS with its own beam dosimetric data exhibited encouraging results even in a 3×3mm2 field and penumbra region. This methodology allows for the prediction of 2D dose distributions with an accuracy in water ranging from 3 to 5% compared to the 2D distribution from film dosimetry.