Development of a novel Light and Ion Beam Induced Luminescence (LIBIL) setup for in-situ optical characterization of color centers in diamond

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new LIBIL setup for in-situ optical analysis of color centers in diamond, revealing insights into luminescence dynamics and spectral features during ion beam and optical measurements.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel LIBIL experimental station that combines ion implantation and optical characterization, enabling in-depth study of color center formation in diamond.

Findings

Luminescence quenching speed depends on ion beam current.

Certain spectral features appear only during IPL measurements.

Unified setup provides new insights into color center dynamics.

Abstract

In this work, development of the new Laser and Ion Beam Induced Luminescence (LIBIL) experimental end-station has been presented. To systematically test the capabilities and limitations of the newly developed setup, ionoluminescence (IL) and iono-photoluminescence (IPL) measurements were performed on a type IIa optical grade and a type Ib nitrogen rich diamond. By comparing and analyzing the obtained spectra, it was shown that the speed of luminescence quenching has a non-trivial dependence on the ion beam current. Additionally, it was demonstrated that some spectral features characteristic of the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy color center (i.e. NV$^-$ zero-phonon line) have been observed only during IPL measurements. This demonstrates that the unification of two separate steps, ion implantation and optical characterization, could yield new insights into dynamics of color center formation.