Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Diamond and Related Materials

Nitrogen ion implantation for controlled nitrogen-vacancy center creation in single- and polycrystalline diamond

Zeeshan Rashid, Nemanja Markešević, S. Lagomarsino, N. Gelli, L. Giuntini, Mirko Massi, S. Sciortino, Assegid M. Flatae, Santiago Hernández-Gómez, Giovanni Bianchini, E. Wörner, Christoph Wild, Nicole Fabbri, Mario Agio

Published Sep 12, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Precise control over the spatial distribution and charge state of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond is a key requirement for further advancing this platform in quantum sensing and photonic applications. Here, we investigate nitrogen ion implantation as a scalable method to engineer NV centers in bulk single-crystalline (SC) and a 5 μ m -thick polycrystalline (PC) diamond membrane. Nitrogen-doped regions (1–80 ppm) were fabricated using a 0.7 MeV ion beam and high-temperature annealing, with NV center formation verified by confocal fluorescence imaging and spectral analysis. In SC bulk diamond, we estimate the NV concentration from spectral analysis and model the fluorescence response as a function of implantation dose, capturing both the initial increase at low concentrations and a saturation behavior at higher doses due to quenching mechanisms. In contrast, PC diamond membranes show a weaker dependence at low implantation fluences, consistent with pre-existing nitrogen impurities, thus making a statistical model significantly more complex. The activation yield is found to be of order of 1%, which is lower than in N-rich diamond samples, as implanted N is predominantly interstitial. Photoluminescence spectroscopy indicates that NV 0 is the dominant charge state in both materials, with a laser-power-dependent redistribution between neutral and negative charge states. Optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) measurements in SC bulk diamond resolve the hyperfine structure and allow extraction of the dephasing time ( T 2 ∗ ), while in PC diamond membranes, where NV centers tend do form near the grain boundaries, the ODMR signals are observed but spectral resolution is currently limited by impurities, grain-dependent NV orientations, and photoluminescence background.

DOI
10.1016/j.diamond.2026.114134

Related papers

Engineering of nitrogen-vacancy color centers in high purity diamond by ion implantation and annealing

Julius O. Orwa, Charles Santori, Kai‐Mei C. Fu +11 more

The negatively-charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center is the most studied optical center in diamond and is very important for applications in quantum information science. Many proposals for integrating NV centers in quantum and sensing applications rely on their tailored fabrication in ultra pure host material. In this study, we use ion implantation to controllably introduce nitrogen into high purity, low nitrogen chemical vapor deposition diamond samples. The properties of the resulting NV centers are studied as a function of implantation temperature, annealing temperature, and implantation fluence. We compare the implanted NV centers with native NV centers present deep in the bulk of the as-grown samples. The results for implanted NV centers are promising but indicate, at this stage, that the deep native NV centers possess overall superior optical properties. In particular, the implanted NV centers obtained after annealing at 2000 °C under a stabilizing pressure of 8 GPa showed an ensemble linewidth of 0.17 nm compared to 0.61 nm after annealing at 1000 °C. Over the same temperature range, the ensemble NV−/NV0 ratio increased by a factor of ∼5, although this was accompanied by an overall decrease in the NV count.

Journal of Applied Physics•Apr 15, 2011•122 citations

Highly nitrogen-vacancy doped diamond nanostructures fabricated by ion implantation and optimum annealing

Hisashi Sumikura, Kazuyuki Hirama, Katsuhiko Nishiguchi +2 more

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond photonic nanostructures have attracted much attention as efficient single photon emitters and quantum bits. These quantum optical devices mostly require single or low-density NV centers doped in thin diamond membranes. In contrast, this study focuses on diamond photonic nanostructures with a high concentration of NV centers to achieve a diamond color center laser with a sufficient gain available as a visible light source and a sensitive magnetic-field sensor. We employ high-dose helium ion implantation to type-Ib diamond substrates and thermal annealing, which enables us to obtain uniform thin diamond membranes containing a dense ensemble of NV centers. Luminescence spectroscopy reveals the kinetics of NV centers at high temperature from which we find an optimum annealing temperature maximizing the NV center emission while suppressing the transformation from NV to H3 centers. Furthermore, fine photonic nanowires are also successfully fabricated in the air-suspended diamond membrane, and they exhibit intense photoluminescence from the NV centers with a concentration as high as 7 × 1016 cm−3 (0.4 ppm). These results suggest a route to the fabrication of diamond photonic nanostructures containing a dense ensemble of NV centers, which can be a key material for developing diamond-based light emitting and magnetic-field sensing devices.

APL Materials•Mar 1, 2020•32 citations

Fabrication of 15NV− centers in diamond using a deterministic single ion implanter

Karin Groot-Berning, Georg Jacob, Christian Osterkamp +2 more

Abstract Nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are a platform for several important quantum technologies, including sensing, communication and elementary quantum processors. In this letter we demonstrate the creation of NV centers by implantation using a deterministic single ion source. For this we sympathetically laser-cool single N 2 + 15 molecular ions in a Paul trap and extract them at an energy of 5.9 keV. Subsequently the ions are focused with a lateral resolution of 121(35) nm and are implanted into a diamond substrate without any spatial filtering by apertures or masks. After high-temperature annealing, we detect the NV centers in a confocal microscope and determine a conversion efficiency of about 0.6%. The 15NV centers are characterized by optically detected magnetic resonance on the hyperfine transition and coherence time.

arXiv:2101.01979•New Journal of Physics•Jun 1, 2021•33 citations

Highly tunable formation of nitrogen-vacancy centers via ion implantation

Sorawis Sangtawesin, T.O. Brundage, Zachary Atkins +1 more

We demonstrate highly tunable formation of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers using 20 keV 15N+ ion implantation through arrays of high-resolution apertures fabricated with electron beam lithography. By varying the aperture diameters from 80 to 240 nm, as well as the average ion fluences from 5×1010 to 2 × 1011 ions/cm2, we can control the number of ions per aperture. We analyze the photoluminescence on multiple sites with different implantation parameters and obtain ion-to-NV conversion yields of 6%–7%, consistent across all ion fluences. The implanted NV centers have spin dephasing times T2* ∼ 3 μs, comparable to naturally occurring NV centers in high purity diamond with natural abundance 13C. With this technique, we can deterministically control the population distribution of NV centers in each aperture, allowing for the study of single or coupled NV centers and their integration into photonic structures.

arXiv:1407.1434•Applied Physics Letters•Aug 11, 2014•37 citations

Doping optimization of charge state stability for shallow nitrogen-vacancy center ensembles in HPHT diamonds

Qin Wu, Die Fang, Yu Ma +9 more

Since nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have emerged as crucial quantum sensors in physics and biology, the massive preparation of high-quality and high-concentration shallow NV center samples has become urgent and demanding. As NV centers approach the surface and their concentration increases, charge state instability can degrade coherence and introduce additional noise. This problem is further complicated in high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) diamonds due to the presence of unclear impurities and inhomogeneous strain. Through optically detected magnetic resonance testing on various implanted samples, we analyzed the spin and charge state properties of shallow NV center ensembles. Our results reveal that the doping dose significantly influences the quantity of NV−, charge, and charge stability. Our findings indicate that over-implanting nitrogen as electron donors before starting graphitization helps stabilize the charge environment of the shallow NV center ensembles. By controlling the nitrogen ion implantation dose, we optimized charge state stability under photoionization and prepared high-quality NV center ensemble samples in HPHT diamonds at the optimal implantation dose range of 2×1013–8×1013 ions/cm2. This method, which relies solely on nitrogen ion implantation and annealing on HPHT diamond, significantly reduces the cost of sensor samples, greatly benefiting the promotion of quantum sensing.

Applied Physics Letters•Jun 16, 2025•1 citation

Hot ion implantation to create dense NV center ensembles in diamond

Midrel Wilfried Ngandeu Ngambou, Pauline Perrin, Ionuț Gabriel Balașa +9 more

Creating dense and shallow nitrogen-vacancy (NV) ensembles with good spin properties is a prerequisite for developing diamond-based quantum sensors exhibiting better performance. Ion implantation is a key enabling tool for precisely controlling spatial localization and density of NV color centers in diamond. However, it suffers from a low creation yield, while higher ion fluences significantly damage the crystal lattice. In this work, we realize N2+ ion implantation in the 30–40 keV range at high temperatures. At 800 °C, NV's ensemble photoluminescence emission is three to four times higher than room temperature implanted films, while narrow electron spin resonance linewidths of 1.5 MHz, comparable to well-established implantation techniques, are obtained. In addition, we found that ion fluences above 2 × 1014 ions/cm2 can be used without graphitization of the diamond film, in contrast to room temperature implantation. This study opens promising perspectives in optimizing diamond films with implanted NV ensembles that could be integrated into quantum sensing devices.

Applied Physics Letters•Mar 25, 2024•15 citations
Precise control over the spatial distribution and charge state of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond is a key requirement for further advancing this platform in quantum sensing and photonic applications. Here, we investigate nitrogen ion implantation as a scalable method to engineer NV centers in bulk single-crystalline (SC) and a 5 μ m -thick polycrystalline (PC) diamond membrane. Nitrogen-doped regions (1–80 ppm) were fabricated using a 0.7 MeV ion beam and high-temperature annealing, with NV center formation verified by confocal fluorescence imaging and spectral analysis. In SC bulk diamond, we estimate the NV concentration from spectral analysis and model the fluorescence response as a function of implantation dose, capturing both the initial increase at low concentrations and a saturation behavior at higher doses due to quenching mechanisms. In contrast, PC diamond membranes show a weaker dependence at low implantation fluences, consistent with pre-existing nitrogen impurities, thus making a statistical model significantly more complex. The activation yield is found to be of order of 1%, which is lower than in N-rich diamond samples, as implanted N is predominantly interstitial. Photoluminescence spectroscopy indicates that NV 0 is the dominant charge state in both materials, with a laser-power-dependent redistribution between neutral and negative charge states. Optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) measurements in SC bulk diamond resolve the hyperfine structure and allow extraction of the dephasing time ( T 2 ∗ ), while in PC diamond membranes, where NV centers tend do form near the grain boundaries, the ODMR signals are observed but spectral resolution is currently limited by impurities, grain-dependent NV orientations, and photoluminescence background.
The negatively-charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center is the most studied optical center in diamond and is very important for applications in quantum information science. Many proposals for integrating NV centers in quantum and sensing applications rely on their tailored fabrication in ultra pure host material. In this study, we use ion implantation to controllably introduce nitrogen into high purity, low nitrogen chemical vapor deposition diamond samples. The properties of the resulting NV centers are studied as a function of implantation temperature, annealing temperature, and implantation fluence. We compare the implanted NV centers with native NV centers present deep in the bulk of the as-grown samples. The results for implanted NV centers are promising but indicate, at this stage, that the deep native NV centers possess overall superior optical properties. In particular, the implanted NV centers obtained after annealing at 2000 °C under a stabilizing pressure of 8 GPa showed an ensemble linewidth of 0.17 nm compared to 0.61 nm after annealing at 1000 °C. Over the same temperature range, the ensemble NV−/NV0 ratio increased by a factor of ∼5, although this was accompanied by an overall decrease in the NV count.
Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond photonic nanostructures have attracted much attention as efficient single photon emitters and quantum bits. These quantum optical devices mostly require single or low-density NV centers doped in thin diamond membranes. In contrast, this study focuses on diamond photonic nanostructures with a high concentration of NV centers to achieve a diamond color center laser with a sufficient gain available as a visible light source and a sensitive magnetic-field sensor. We employ high-dose helium ion implantation to type-Ib diamond substrates and thermal annealing, which enables us to obtain uniform thin diamond membranes containing a dense ensemble of NV centers. Luminescence spectroscopy reveals the kinetics of NV centers at high temperature from which we find an optimum annealing temperature maximizing the NV center emission while suppressing the transformation from NV to H3 centers. Furthermore, fine photonic nanowires are also successfully fabricated in the air-suspended diamond membrane, and they exhibit intense photoluminescence from the NV centers with a concentration as high as 7 × 1016 cm−3 (0.4 ppm). These results suggest a route to the fabrication of diamond photonic nanostructures containing a dense ensemble of NV centers, which can be a key material for developing diamond-based light emitting and magnetic-field sensing devices.
Abstract Nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are a platform for several important quantum technologies, including sensing, communication and elementary quantum processors. In this letter we demonstrate the creation of NV centers by implantation using a deterministic single ion source. For this we sympathetically laser-cool single N 2 + 15 molecular ions in a Paul trap and extract them at an energy of 5.9 keV. Subsequently the ions are focused with a lateral resolution of 121(35) nm and are implanted into a diamond substrate without any spatial filtering by apertures or masks. After high-temperature annealing, we detect the NV centers in a confocal microscope and determine a conversion efficiency of about 0.6%. The 15NV centers are characterized by optically detected magnetic resonance on the hyperfine transition and coherence time.
We demonstrate highly tunable formation of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers using 20 keV 15N+ ion implantation through arrays of high-resolution apertures fabricated with electron beam lithography. By varying the aperture diameters from 80 to 240 nm, as well as the average ion fluences from 5×1010 to 2 × 1011 ions/cm2, we can control the number of ions per aperture. We analyze the photoluminescence on multiple sites with different implantation parameters and obtain ion-to-NV conversion yields of 6%–7%, consistent across all ion fluences. The implanted NV centers have spin dephasing times T2* ∼ 3 μs, comparable to naturally occurring NV centers in high purity diamond with natural abundance 13C. With this technique, we can deterministically control the population distribution of NV centers in each aperture, allowing for the study of single or coupled NV centers and their integration into photonic structures.
Since nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have emerged as crucial quantum sensors in physics and biology, the massive preparation of high-quality and high-concentration shallow NV center samples has become urgent and demanding. As NV centers approach the surface and their concentration increases, charge state instability can degrade coherence and introduce additional noise. This problem is further complicated in high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) diamonds due to the presence of unclear impurities and inhomogeneous strain. Through optically detected magnetic resonance testing on various implanted samples, we analyzed the spin and charge state properties of shallow NV center ensembles. Our results reveal that the doping dose significantly influences the quantity of NV−, charge, and charge stability. Our findings indicate that over-implanting nitrogen as electron donors before starting graphitization helps stabilize the charge environment of the shallow NV center ensembles. By controlling the nitrogen ion implantation dose, we optimized charge state stability under photoionization and prepared high-quality NV center ensemble samples in HPHT diamonds at the optimal implantation dose range of 2×1013–8×1013 ions/cm2. This method, which relies solely on nitrogen ion implantation and annealing on HPHT diamond, significantly reduces the cost of sensor samples, greatly benefiting the promotion of quantum sensing.
Creating dense and shallow nitrogen-vacancy (NV) ensembles with good spin properties is a prerequisite for developing diamond-based quantum sensors exhibiting better performance. Ion implantation is a key enabling tool for precisely controlling spatial localization and density of NV color centers in diamond. However, it suffers from a low creation yield, while higher ion fluences significantly damage the crystal lattice. In this work, we realize N2+ ion implantation in the 30–40 keV range at high temperatures. At 800 °C, NV's ensemble photoluminescence emission is three to four times higher than room temperature implanted films, while narrow electron spin resonance linewidths of 1.5 MHz, comparable to well-established implantation techniques, are obtained. In addition, we found that ion fluences above 2 × 1014 ions/cm2 can be used without graphitization of the diamond film, in contrast to room temperature implantation. This study opens promising perspectives in optimizing diamond films with implanted NV ensembles that could be integrated into quantum sensing devices.