Self-aligned multilayered nitrogen vacancy diamond nanoparticles for high spatial resolution magnetometry of microelectronic currents

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new method to produce layered nitrogen vacancy diamond nanoparticles with aligned spins, enabling high-resolution, surface-wide magnetic field detection in microelectronic circuits and biological applications.

Contribution

The study presents a novel layering technique for NVNPs that achieves inherent spin alignment, improving magnetometry sensitivity and simplifying probe preparation.

Findings

Successfully created densely stacked NVNP monolayers with aligned spins.

Demonstrated detection of magnetic fields from microelectronic microwires.

Established spatial characteristics of the NVNP aggregates.

Abstract

Nitrogen Vacancy diamond nanoparticles (NVNPs) are increasingly integrated with methods for optical detection of magnetic resonance (ODMR), providing new opportunities in magnetic characterization that span the visualization of magnetic fields in microelectronic circuits, environmental sensing and biology. However, only a small number of studies utilize aggregates of NVNPs for surface-wide magnetometry being that spin orientations in aggregate NVNPs are inherently misaligned, precluding their use for proper magnetic field detection compared with expensive monocrystalline diamonds. A postprocessing method for layering NVNPs with aligned NV center orientations can potentially facilitate superior NV magnetometry by allowing sensitive detection combined with simplified probe preparation. We present a novel technology for creating densely stacked monolayers of NVNP with inherent interlayer alignment for sensitive measurement of local magnetic field perturbations in microelectronic traces. We establish spatial characteristics of deposited aggregates and demonstrate their ability to capture magnetic dipoles from conducting microwires via ODMR. Our approach forms a novel accessible protocol that can be used for broad applications in micromagnetometry.