Negative magnetoresistance in boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond films.

We report on the observation of a negative magnetoresistance (NMR) regime in boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond films at low temperatures. A comparative analysis of our experimental results and those reported for systems composed of superconducting granules embedded in an insulating matrix (also referred as granular films) suggest the presence of superconducting regions inside the insulating films as causing the NMR. By considering the latter scenario, the experimental observations are explained by modeling the systems as consisting of a distribution of superconducting granules whose global properties are tuned by the intergrain distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]