Boosting the density of NV centers in diamond through nanosecond sub-bandgap laser irradiation

Date

2026-10-01

Author

Salci, Rumeysa
Ozdemir, Okan
Bilgin, Muhammed
Mansoor, Mubashir
Oral, Ahmet
Ozbay, Aisha G.
Arslan, Leyla C.

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Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are the basis for a wide range of quantum sensing technologies, with a major engineering frontier being selective formation of NV centers on demand. However, creating engineered patterns of NV centers in a scalable and selective manner remains a major challenge. Here, we show a cost-effective gateway for solving this longstanding problem through laser-driven synthesis of NV ensembles in diamond using nanosecond-pulsed irradiation. Using a 1064 nm laser operating in the sub-bandgap regime of diamond, the laser energy is locally coupled into the backside focal region through nonlinear and defect-assisted absorption pathways, enabling controlled backside modification. Our approach leverages localized laser–matter interactions to generate vacancies while inducing transient thermal gradients that promote localized vacancy migration and hydrogen release. These processes facilitate NV center formation through the interaction between intrinsic nitrogen impurities and laser-generated vacancies, as well as through the dissociation of NVH complexes. Spatially resolved photoluminescence measurements reveal an increase in both NV− and NV0 emission intensities, accompanied by a suppression of NVH-related emission, indicating laser-induced reconfiguration of defect populations and charge-state equilibrium. Optically detected magnetic resonance measurements demonstrate one pair of resonance branches under a [100]-aligned magnetic field, confirming that the signal is influenced degenerately by all four ⟨111⟩ NV− orientations, and indicating that the crystalline symmetry is preserved after irradiation. This method offers a scalable and spatially controlled route to the advancing diamond-based quantum technologies without requiring post-irradiation thermal annealing, while enabling NV patterning to be used as a design parameter.

Subject Keywords

Color centers, Laser irradiation, Nitrogen vacancy, ODMR

URI

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=105043988265&origin=inward
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/119815

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Article