Abstract
Established techniques for ion implantation rely on technically advanced and costly machines like particle accelerators that only few research groups possess. We report here about a new and surprisingly simple ion implantation method that is based upon a widespread laboratory instrument: The scanning electron microscope. We show that it can be utilized to ionize atoms and molecules from the restgas by collisions with electrons of the beam and subsequently accelerate and implant them into an insulating sample by the effect of a potential building up at the sample surface. Our method is demonstrated by the implantation of nitrogen ions into diamond and their subsequent conversion to nitrogen vacancy centres which can be easily measured by fluorescence confocal microscopy. To provide evidence that the observed centres are truly generated in the way we describe, we supplied a 98% isotopically enriched 15N gas to the chamber, whose natural abundance is very low. By employing the method of optically detected magnetic resonance, we were thus able to verify that the investigated centres are actually created from the 15N isotopes. We also show that this method is compatible with lithography techniques using e-beam resist, as demonstrated by the implantation of lines using PMMA.
Highlights
The development of the electron microscope in the 1930s was a milestone in many fields of natural sciences[1]
Signal of the created nitrogen vacancy (NV) centres. (a) Fluorescence spectrum recorded in the centre of the area that was irradiated with the electron beam of the scanning electron microscope (SEM)
The mechanism for ion implantation via a scanning electron microscope is depicted in Fig. 5 and can be described as follows: The electron beam of the SEM is focused onto the sample
Summary
The development of the electron microscope in the 1930s was a milestone in many fields of natural sciences[1]. An ion accelerator is needed for a precise implantation of atoms, which is not available in many research facilities because of the technical complexity and correspondingly high costs. The ground state triplet has a splitting at zero magnetic field of 2.87 GHz4 between the mS = 0 and mS = ±1 electron spin sublevels. This energy level constitution opens the possibility for the initialization, manipulation and read out of the centres quantum state and its employment as a qubit[5,6,7]. The method described here is highly relevant for the research work on NV centres because nitrogen implantation into ultrapure diamond[8] is a often used technique for the generation of NV centres
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