Novel synthesis and properties of pure and NV-doped nanodiamonds and other nanostructures

ABSTRACT

We report a novel method for synthesis and processing of pure and nitrogen-vacancy (NV)-doped nanodiamonds with sharp NV⁰ and NV⁻ transitions at ambient temperatures and pressures in air. Carbon films are melted by nanosecond lasers in super undercooled state and quenched rapidly. We can form single-crystal nanodiamonds, microdiamonds, nanoneedles and microneedles, and large-area films. Substitutional nitrogen atoms and vacancies are incorporated into diamond during rapid liquid-phase growth, where dopant concentrations can far exceed thermodynamic solubility limits through solute trapping. These nanodiamonds can be placed deterministically and the transitions between NV⁻ and NV⁰ can be controlled electrically and optically by laser illumination.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

IMPACT STATEMENT

This research represents a fundamental breakthrough in controlled synthesis of nanodiamonds and doping of diamond with NV centers in nanostructures needed for quantum devices operating at room temperature.

KEYWORDS:

• NV centers
• carbon to diamond conversion
• diamond microcrystallites
• Raman spectroscopy

Acknowledgements

We are also very pleased to acknowledge technical help and useful discussions with John Prater, Roger Narayan, and Ki-Wook Kim.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

We are grateful to Fan Family Foundation Distinguished Chair Endowment for Professor J. Narayan, and this research was partly funded by the Army Research Office [W911NF-12-R-0012-03].