Photoelectrical detection of nitrogen-vacancy centers by utilizing diamond lateral p–i–n diodes

Abstract

We demonstrate a photoelectrical readout of negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV−) centers by utilizing a lateral diamond p–i–n diode structure. We found that the photocarriers generated at NV centers are efficiently extracted in the depletion layer even at zero voltage. The transport mechanism for photoexcited minority carriers was investigated by varying the nitrogen ion implantation dose. The minority carrier diffusion length decreased when the photocarriers passed through the implantation region, particularly at a high nitrogen ion dose. From photoelectrically detected magnetic resonance (PDMR) measurements, the photocurrent was found to exhibit a minimum at approximately 2.87 GHz upon microwave irradiation with a contrast of 12%, while this dip was observed to split upon the application of a static magnetic field. The PDMR signal was found to depend on the measurement position. This study paves the way for efficient electrical detection for quantum sensors based on device technologies.

Photoelectric Detection of Nitrogen‐Vacancy Centers Magnetic Resonances in Diamond: Role of Charge Exchanges with Other Optoelectrically Active Defects

“…[10] All applications of NV centers in the field of quantum technologies rely on the readout of NV − electron spin. The photoelectric detection of NV − magnetic resonances (PDMR) has been developed as an alternative to the optical readout of NV spin (Figure 1a), [11][12][13][14][15][16] making possible to determine NV electron spin state through detection of the photocurrent resulting from NV centers two-photon ionization (Figure 1b). The PDMR technique, recently downscaled to the readout of a single coherently manipulated electronic [17] or nuclear [18] spin, presents potential advantages in terms of spatial resolution, detection rates, compactness, and integration with electronics [11][12][13][14] compared to the optical detection of magnetic resonances (ODMR).…”

Thermally Stable and Radiation‐Proof Visible‐Light Photodetectors Made from N‐Doped Diamond

“…During the energy decay of the excited electron, another electron of the valence band could jump to the ground level of NV by absorption of the second photon energy, leaving a hole in the valence band and ionizing NV back to NV − . [27,37] To further investigate the photodetection performance, responsivity (R) and detectivity (D*) can be estimated via R = I ph /P [38] and D * = R∕ √ 2qJ dark , [39] where I ph , J dark , P, and q are total photocurrent, dark current density, light source power and charge constant. Note that the area (A) of the photodetector was 1.96 × 10 −5 cm 2 and the spectral range of the light source was 300-1100 nm.…”

“…During the energy decay of the excited electron, another electron of the valence band could jump to the ground level of NV by absorption of the second photon energy, leaving a hole in the valence band and ionizing NV back to NV − . [ 27,37 ]…”

Spin-Dependent Dynamics of Photocarrier Generation in Electrically Detected Nitrogen-Vacancy-Based Quantum Sensing

“…Another method, called photocurrent detected magnetic resonance (PDMR), has attracted attention. The PDMR technique can read out the N-V electron spin [15][16][17][18][19] and coupled nuclear spins [20,21]. Electrical detection is expected to achieve a higher collection efficiency than that of optical techniques by optimizing the electrode structure [18].…”

“…The PDMR signal of N-V centers is a spin-dependent photocurrent change resulting from the charge-state conversion between N-V − and N-V 0 [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][25][26][27][28]. The photocarriers (electrons and holes) are generated under 532nm laser illumination following the steps illustrated in Fig.…”