Observation of a C-1sCore Exciton in Diamond

Abstract

A well-resolved core exciton at the bulk diamond C-$1s$ absorption edge has been observed using high-resolution partial-yield spectroscopy with synchrotron radiation. The obtained excitonic binding energy, 0.19±0.015 eV, agrees well with a first-principles effective-mass approximation (EMA). This is in sharp contrast to other semiconductors (Si, Ge, and GaAs) where reported excitonic shifts far exceed EMA estimates. In light of these results, one must question whether previous measurements overestimate the core-hole interaction or if they indicate a breakdown of the EMA for core excitons.