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6CCVD Research

Study on Diamond NV Centers Excited by Green Light Emission from OLEDs

At a Glance

Section titled “At a Glance”
MetadataDetails
Publication Date2025-08-22
JournalPhotonics
AuthorsYangyang Guo, Xin Li, Fuwen Shi, Wenjun Wang, Bo Li
InstitutionsEast China Normal University, Liaocheng University
AnalysisFull AI Review Included

Executive Summary

Section titled “Executive Summary”

This study successfully demonstrates the integration of Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) as efficient, planar excitation sources for Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, enabling significant system miniaturization for quantum sensing applications.

  • Core Achievement: Effective optical excitation of NV centers using an ITO-anode OLED device, subsequently optimized via interfacial engineering.
  • Material Innovation: Fabrication of a hybrid anode using Graphene Oxide (GO)/Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) composite (40% GO ratio).
  • Excitation Efficiency: The optimized 40% hybrid anode device achieved a 3.7 times enhancement in NV center fluorescence peak intensity compared to the conventional ITO-anode device.
  • Power Optimization: The hybrid anode reduced the operating voltage required for equivalent NV emission intensity from 19.5 V (ITO) to 14 V, resulting in a 22% reduction in power consumption.
  • Anode Performance: The optimized anode exhibited superior electrical properties, including a high conductivity of 4032 S/cm and a maximum work function (ÎŚ) of 5.014 eV, minimizing the hole injection barrier.
  • Quantum Readout: The miniaturized sensor demonstrated successful spin-state manipulation, achieving an ODMR Contrast Ratio (CR) of 3.0% and a Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of 41, significantly improving signal quality over the ITO reference (1.7% CR, 18 SNR).

Technical Specifications

Section titled “Technical Specifications”
ParameterValueUnitContext
NV Fluorescence Peak Intensity Enhancement3.7times40% Hybrid Anode vs. ITO Anode
Operating Voltage (Equivalent NV Intensity)14VOptimized 40% Hybrid Anode
Operating Voltage (Equivalent NV Intensity)19.5VITO Reference Anode
Power Consumption Reduction22%40% Hybrid Anode vs. ITO Reference
Maximum Luminance36,271cd/m240% Hybrid Anode
Turn-on Voltage2.4V40% Hybrid Anode
Anode Work Function (ÎŚ)5.014eVOptimized 40% GO/PEDOT:PSS
Anode Conductivity4032S/cmOptimized 40% GO/PEDOT:PSS
ODMR Contrast Ratio (CR)3.0%Optimized 40% Hybrid Anode
ODMR Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)41N/AOptimized 40% Hybrid Anode
Electron Beam Irradiation Dose1 x 1018e-/cm2NV center creation in diamond
NV Annealing Temperature800°C1 hour under high-purity N2 atmosphere
Diamond Type/N ConcentrationIb / ~100ppmSubstrate material

Key Methodologies

Section titled “Key Methodologies”

The experimental procedure involved the preparation of high-performance hybrid anodes, the fabrication of the OLED stack, and the creation of high-density NV centers in diamond.

  1. GO/PEDOT:PSS Hybrid Anode Preparation:

    • GO was prepared at 0.5 mg/mL concentration using an optimized Hummer’s approach.
    • PEDOT:PSS solution was blended with GO at various ratios (optimized at 40%).
    • Films were spin-coated onto quartz/ITO substrates at 3000 rpm for 30 s, followed by annealing at 120 °C for 20 min.

  2. Acidic Interfacial Engineering:

    • Films were treated with 1 M HCl or 1 M H2SO4 at 160 °C (30 min for HCl, 1 h for H2SO4).
    • This treatment promoted dissociation of PEDOT+ from PSS- chains, enhancing conductivity and increasing the work function (ÎŚ) to 5.014 eV.

  3. OLED Device Fabrication:

    • The device structure was: Anode / MoO3 (1 nm, HIL) / NPB (40 nm, HTL) / Alq3 (70 nm, EML) / BPhen (10 nm, ETL) / LiF (0.5 nm, EIL) / Al (100 nm, Cathode).
    • Layers were sequentially evaporated under vacuum (below 5 x 10-4 Pa).

  4. NV Center Creation:

    • Type Ib diamond substrates (100 ppm N) were used.
    • Samples were subjected to electron beam irradiation at a dose of 1 x 1018 e-/cm2.
    • Post-irradiation annealing was performed in a tube furnace at 800 °C for 1 h under a high-purity nitrogen protective atmosphere to activate the NV centers.

  5. Sensor Integration:

    • The diamond NV sample was fixed onto the light-emitting surface of the OLED using thermal adhesive.
    • The integrated device included a microstrip antenna for microwave (MW) field delivery, enabling ODMR measurements.

Commercial Applications

Section titled “Commercial Applications”

The successful integration of high-efficiency OLEDs with NV centers provides a pathway for the commercialization of compact quantum technologies, particularly in fields requiring high sensitivity and portability.

  • Miniaturized Quantum Sensing: Development of highly compact, handheld quantum magnetometers, gyroscopes, and thermometers based on NV centers.
  • Wearable Technology: The inherent flexibility of OLED technology facilitates the development of flexible quantum sensors for integration into wearable devices.
  • Biomedical Imaging: Potential for high-sensitivity magnetic field imaging (e.g., picotesla magnetometry) in biological systems, leveraging the small footprint of the OLED excitation source.
  • Optoelectronic Materials: The optimized GO/PEDOT:PSS hybrid anode material platform is directly applicable to high-performance, low-voltage flexible displays and other organic electronic devices.
  • Industrial Monitoring: Use in systems requiring precise, localized temperature or magnetic field monitoring in harsh or space-constrained environments.
View Original Abstract

This study demonstrates the feasibility of exciting NV centers using ITO-anode OLED devices, followed by the fabrication of GO/PEDOT:PSS hybrid anodes via spin-coating. Through interfacial modification, the OLED devices exhibit significantly enhanced luminescence intensity, leading to improved NV center excitation efficiency. Experimental results show that the optimized GO/PEDOT:PSS (40%) hybrid anode device achieves a lower turn-on voltage, with the NV center fluorescence peak intensity reaching 3.7 times that of the ITO-anode device, confirming the enhanced excitation effect through interfacial engineering of the light source. By integrating NV centers with OLED technology, this work establishes a new approach for efficient excitation. This integration approach provides a new pathway for applications such as quantum sensing.

Tech Support

Section titled “Tech Support”

Original Source

Section titled “Original Source”

References

Section titled “References”
  1. 2023 - Broadband microwave detection using electron spins in a hybrid diamond-magnet sensor chip [Crossref]
  2. 2016 - Quantitative nanoscale vortex imaging using a cryogenic quantum magnetometer [Crossref]
  3. 2015 - Broadband magnetometry and temperature sensing with a light-trapping diamond waveguide [Crossref]
  4. 2015 - High-sensitivity temperature sensing using an implanted single nitrogen-vacancy center array in diamond [Crossref]
  5. 2013 - High-precision nanoscale temperature sensing using single defects in diamond [Crossref]
  6. 2021 - Demonstration of diamond nuclear spin gyroscope [Crossref]
  7. 2018 - Quantum measurement of a rapidly rotating spin qubit in diamond [Crossref]
  8. 2011 - Real time magnetic field sensing and imaging using a single spin in diamond [Crossref]
  9. 2018 - T2-limited sensing of static magnetic fields via fast rotation of quantum spins [Crossref]
  10. 2022 - Picotesla magnetometry of microwave fields with diamond sensors [Crossref]

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