Skip to content
6CCVD Research

Ultra-low-energy nitrogen ion interactions with diamond surfaces - Impact of crystal orientation on bonding and thermal stability

At a Glance

Section titled “At a Glance”
MetadataDetails
Publication Date2025-08-05
JournalJournal of Applied Physics
AuthorsAmaresh Das, Sayantan Maity, Shaul Michaelson, Mohan Kumar Kuntumalla, A. Hoffman
InstitutionsTechnion – Israel Institute of Technology

Abstract

Section titled “Abstract”

This study investigates the influence of crystal orientation on nitrogen incorporation, bonding configurations, and thermal stability in (100)- and (111)-oriented single-crystal diamond (SCD) surfaces implanted with ultra-low-energy N2+ ions (100 and 200 eV; dose: 1 × 1015 ions/cm2). Upon impact, N2+ ions dissociate, and each interacting nitrogen atom receives half the kinetic energy (50 and 100 eV), making the process ideal for studying near-threshold defect formation. Low-energy electron diffraction revealed a reconstructed surface with coexisting (2 × 1) and (1 × 2) domains on (100) SCD, while the (111) surface maintained a well-ordered (1 × 1) structure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that (100) SCD incorporates and retains more nitrogen than (111), with superior thermal stability up to 1000 °C. Despite the low implantation energy, both surfaces exhibit minimal structural defect (Cdef), although (100) SCD is slightly more susceptible to defect formation. Implanted nitrogen forms primarily C-N/C=N and N-(sp2 C/Cdef) bonds, with the former dominating. These bonding configurations evolve with temperature and crystal orientation. The N-(sp2 C/Cdef) component remains stable between 300 and 700 °C and decreases at higher temperatures. At lower temperatures, nitrogen remains in interstitial form (Ni), forming Ni-Ci complexes with mobile carbon interstitials (Ci), which stabilize N-(sp2 C/Cdef) bonding. At elevated temperatures (800-1000 °C), Ni converts to substitutional nitrogen (Ns), reducing the defect-associated bonding signal. Overall, (100) SCD shows a stronger tendency for defect-mediated nitrogen stabilization than (111). These insights into ultra-low-energy nitrogen-diamond interactions may guide future strategies for surface engineering and stabilization of shallow nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond-based quantum technologies.

Tech Support

Section titled “Tech Support”

Original Source

Section titled “Original Source”

References

Section titled “References”
  1. 2013 - Diamond NV centers for quantum computing and quantum networks [Crossref]
  2. 2017 - Quantum sensing [Crossref]
  3. 2021 - Quantum computer based on color centers in diamond [Crossref]
  4. 2024 - Enhanced quantum properties of shallow diamond atomic defects through nitrogen surface termination [Crossref]
  5. 2016 - Surface effects on nitrogen vacancy centers neutralization in diamond [Crossref]
  6. 2016 - Production of bulk NV centre arrays by shallow implantation and diamond CVD overgrowth [Crossref]
  7. 2024 - Hot ion implantation to create dense NV center ensembles in diamond [Crossref]
  8. 2019 - Optical coherence of diamond nitrogen-vacancy centers formed by ion implantation and annealing [Crossref]
  9. 2024 - Identification of defects and the origins of surface noise on hydrogen-terminated (100) diamond
  10. 2022 - Nitrogen related paramagnetic defects: Decoherence source of ensemble of NV− center [Crossref]

Reads Similar to This

Electrochemical determination of ibuprofen by batch‐injection analysis using a BORON‐doped ultrananocrystalline diamond electrode Sensitivity and heat penalty in all-optical quantum thermometry with Germanium-vacancy color centers in diamond Growth of Cubic Boron Nitride/Diamond Heterostructures - Surface Preparation and Film Nucleation