Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) and silicon-vacancy (SiV) color defects in diamond are promising systems for applications in quantum technology. The NV and SiV centers have multiple charge states, and their charge states have different electronic, optical and spin properties. For the NV centers, most investigations for quantum sensing applications are targeted on the negatively charged NV (NV−), and it is important for the NV centers to be in the NV−state. However, it is known that the NV centers are converted to the neutrally charged state (NV0) under laser excitation. An energetically favorable charge state for the NV and SiV centers depends on their local environments. It is essential to understand and control the charge state dynamics for their quantum applications. In this work, we discuss the charge state dynamics of NV and SiV centers under high-voltage nanosecond pulse discharges. The NV and SiV centers coexist in the diamond crystal. The high-voltage pulses enable manipulating the charge states efficiently. These voltage-induced changes in charge states are probed by their photoluminescence spectral analysis. The analysis result from the present experiment shows that the high-voltage nanosecond pulses cause shifts of the chemical potential and can convert the charge states of NV and SiV centers with the transition rates of ∼MHz. This result also indicates that the major population of the SiV centers in the sample is the doubly negatively charged state (SiV2−), which is often overlooked because of its non-fluorescent and non-magnetic nature. This demonstration paves a path for a method of rapid manipulation of the NV and SiV charge states in the future.
Many advanced applications of diamond materials are now being limited by unknown surface defects, including in the fields of high power/frequency electronics and quantum computing and quantum sensing. Of acute interest to diamond researchers worldwide is the loss of quantum coherence in near‐surface nitrogen‐vacancy (NV) centers and the generation of associated magnetic noise at the diamond surface. Here for the first time is presented the observation of a family of primal diamond surface defects, which is suggested as the leading cause of band‐bending and Fermi‐pinning phenomena in diamond devices. A combination of density functional theory and synchrotron‐based X‐ray absorption spectroscopy is used to show that these defects introduce low‐lying electronic trap states. The effect of these states is modeled on band‐bending into the diamond bulk and it is shown that the properties of the important NV defect centers are affected by these defects. Due to the paramount importance of near‐surface NV center properties in a growing number of fields, the density of these defects is further quantified at the surface of a variety of differently‐treated device surfaces, consistent with best‐practice processing techniques in the literature. The identification and characterization of these defects has wide‐ranging implications for diamond devices across many fields.
more » « less- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10462452
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Advanced Materials Interfaces
- Volume:
- 6
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 2196-7350
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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