Distribution of Nitrogen-Vacancy NV– Centers in Cubic Diamond Crystals from Anabar Placers as Revealed By ODMR and PL Tomography

Abstract

Nitrogen-vacancy NV– centers, which are of considerable interest for quantum electronics, are artificially produced in the diamond structure by irradiation and subsequent annealing. In this work, these centers were revealed in natural diamonds of cubic habit (type IaA + Ib according to physical classification) from an industrial placer deposit of the Anabar River (NE Siberian platform) using the method of optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR). Localization of the NV– centers in the dislocations slip planes {111}, separated by distances of about 5 μm, was established by means of scanning the ODMR and PL signals with a submicron resolution. In various crystals, one or two intersecting systems of such slip planes have been revealed. The largest amounts of these defects were found in the peripheral zones of crystals containing increased amounts of single isomorphic nitrogen atoms in the structure. The data obtained indicate the formation of the NV– centers in natural diamonds under post-crystallization plastic deformation, i.e., by a mechanism that differs from the widely used method of their artificial production.