Charged particle detectors made of single-crystal diamond

Very first test results obtained from an intrinsic single crystal CVD diamond detector are described and compared to those measured with polycrystalline CVD-diamond and HPHT Ib diamond sensors. The data are discussed in the context of the requirements of intermediate and high energy heavy-ion physics experiments. It is shown how the crystal structure and the chemical purity of diamond material affect the detector properties as well as vice versa how the detector response to impinging charged particles can be used to study the homogeneity of the mass density and the electrical properties of diamond.