Creation of shallow nitrogen vacancy centers in HPHT diamond surface via catalytic etching of transition metal

Abstract

The nitrogen vacancy (NV) color centers are a solid-state quantum system with the ability to maintain long coherence times at room temperatures. NV centers have potential applications in quantum detection, which necessitates their positioning at minimal distances from surfaces. However, the existing methods for fabricating NV centers are cumbersome, expensive, and difficult to control. This study investigates the etching mechanism of transition metals on diamond under plasma conditions and develops a method for producing shallow NV centers on the surface of high pressure and high temperature diamond. Our proposed method enables the production of shallow NV centers below the surface in the longitudinal direction, while simultaneously allowing precise control over the lateral distribution. Moreover, the operating costs associated with our technique are significantly lower than those of ion implantation and electron irradiation. This research contributes to the advancement of iron-etching diamond processing technology, and the proposed method facilitates the more portable preparation of shallow color centers in specific regions, enabling the realization of locally controllable and scalable coupled quantum systems.