arXiv · 1803.06569
On-Demand Generation of Neutral and Negatively-Charged Silicon-Vacancy Centers in Diamond
Abstract
Point defects in wide-bandgap semiconductors are emerging as versatile resources for nanoscale sensing and quantum information science but our understanding of the photo-ionization dynamics is presently incomplete. Here we use two-color confocal microscopy to investigate the dynamics of charge in Type 1b diamond hosting nitrogen-vacancy (NV) and silicon-vacancy (SiV) centers. By examining the non-local fluorescence patterns emerging from local laser excitation, we show that in the simultaneous presence of photo-generated electrons and holes, SiV (NV) centers selectively transform into the negative (neutral) charge state. Unlike NVs, 532 nm illumination ionizes SiV- via a single photon process thus hinting at a comparatively shallower ground state. In particular, slower ionization rates at longer wavelengths suggest the latter lies approximately ~1.9 eV below the conduction band minimum. Building on the above observations we demonstrate on-demand SiV and NV charge initialization over large areas via green laser illumination of variable intensity.
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Siddharth Dhomkar, Pablo R. Zangara, Jacob Henshaw, Carlos A. Meriles. 2018-03-17. On-Demand Generation of Neutral and Negatively-Charged Silicon-Vacancy Centers in Diamond. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.120.117401
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