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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics

Nitrogen-vacancy center creation with helium-ion microscope

Zhihong Huang, Wen‐Di Li, Charles Santori, Víctor M. Acosta, Andrei Faraon, Richard Stanley Williams, Raymond G. Beausoleil

Published Jun 9, 2013• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We investigate a method to create nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond using a focused-heliu m-ion-microscopy. Near-surface NV centers can be created with spatial resolution below 0.6μm. NV center spectral line widths at various optical and microwave frequencies were also studied.

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Etching experiments were performed that reveal the vertical distribution of optically active nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond created in close proximity to a surface through ion implantation and annealing. The NV distribution depends strongly on the native nitrogen concentration, and spectral measurements of the neutral and negatively charged NV peaks give evidence for electron depletion effects in lower-nitrogen material. The results are important for potential quantum information and magnetometer devices where NV centers must be created in close proximity to a surface for coupling to optical structures.
Scalable realizations of quantum network technologies utilizing the nitrogen vacancy center in diamond require creation of optically coherent NV centers in close proximity to a surface for coupling to optical structures. We create single NV centers by 15^{15}15N ion implantation and high-temperature vacuum annealing. Origin of the NV centers is established by optically detected magnetic resonance spectroscopy for nitrogen isotope identification. Near lifetime-limited optical linewidths (<<< 60 MHz) are observed for the majority of the normal-implant (7∘^\circ∘, ≈\approx≈ 100 nm deep) 15^{15}15NV centers. Long-term stability of the NV−^-− charge state and emission frequency is demonstrated. The effect of NV-surface interaction is investigated by varying the implantation angle for a fixed ion-energy, and thus lattice damage profile. In contrast to the normal implant condition, NVs from an oblique-implant (85∘^\circ∘, ≈\approx≈ 20 nm deep) exhibit substantially reduced optical coherence. Our results imply that the surface is a larger source of perturbation than implantation damage for shallow implanted NVs. This work supports the viability of ion implantation for formation of optically stable NV centers. However, careful surface preparation will be necessary for scalable defect engineering.
Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond with coherent optical transitions are a promising candidate for quantum science and technology protocols. A widely used strategy for their creation is nitrogen-ion implantation and high-temperature annealing. The data presented in this work show that while low-strain, narrow-optical-linewidth NV centers are formed from naturally occurring 14{}^{14}14N atoms, NV centers formed from the implanted 15{}^{15}15N atoms show broadened optical transitions and experience higher strain. These results have immediate implications for the positioning accuracy of current NV center creation protocols.
We report the observation of stable optical transitions in nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers created by ion implantation. Using a combination of high temperature annealing and subsequent surface treatment, we reproducibly create NV centers with zero-phonon lines (ZPL) exhibiting spectral diffusion that is close to the lifetime-limited optical line width. The residual spectral diffusion is further reduced by using resonant optical pumping to maintain the NV(-) charge state. This approach allows for placement of NV centers with excellent optical coherence in a well-defined device layer, which is a crucial step in the development of diamond-based devices for quantum optics, nanophotonics, and quantum information science.