Generation of nitrogen-vacancy ensembles in diamond for quantum sensors: Optimization and scalability of CVD processes

TL;DR

This paper presents a scalable CVD process for producing diamond with NV ensembles optimized for quantum sensing, offering immediate sensitivity improvements and characterization techniques for future development.

Contribution

It introduces a reproducible CVD synthesis method for scalable NV-ensemble diamond production with enhanced properties for quantum sensors.

Findings

Improved NV-ensemble properties at target densities.

Scalable CVD process for diamond fabrication.

Characterization metrics for NV-ensemble quality.

Abstract

Ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are a leading platform for practical quantum sensors. Reproducible and scalable fabrication of NV-ensembles with desired properties is crucial. This work addresses these challenges by developing a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) synthesis process to produce diamond material at scale with improved NV-ensemble properties for a target NV density. The material reported in this work enables immediate sensitivity improvements for current devices. In addition, techniques established in this work for material and sensor characterization at different stages of the CVD synthesis process provide metrics for future efforts targeting other NV densities or sample geometries.