Enhancement of concentration of XeV and GeV centers in microcrystalline diamond films through He+ irradiation

Abstract Atomic defect centers in diamond have been widely exploited in numerous quantum applications like quantum information, sensing, quantum photonics and so on. In this context, there is always a requirement to improve and optimize the preparation procedure to generate the defect centers in controlled fashion, and to explore new defect centers which can have the potential to overcome the current technological challenges. Through this work we report enhancing the concentration of Ge and Xe vacancy centers in microcrystalline diamond (MCD) by means of He+ irradiation. We have demonstrated controlled growth of MCD by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and implantation of Ge and Xe ions into the CVD-grown samples. MCDs were irradiated with He+ ions and characterized through optical spectroscopy measurements. Recorded photoluminescence results revealed a clear signature of enhancement of the Xe-related and Ge vacancies in MCDs.