Growth of CVD diamond nanopillars with imbedded silicon-vacancy color centers

Abstract Silicon-doped diamond nanopillars have been produced by a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on a single crystal diamond substrate through holes in a Si mask perforated with a focused ion beam. Arrays of 400 nm diameter pillars with aspect ratio up to 2.8 are grown epitaxially being confined by channels in the mask, the latter serving also as the Si doping source. Strong photoluminescent (PL) emission of the SiV centers at 738.7 nm wavelength, localized within the pillars, has been detected and imaged with a fluorescence microscope. The SiV PL decay time of 1.1 ns has been deduced from PL kinetics measurements. An increase of specific PL intensity (intensity per unit volume of the pillar) with the aspect ratio is noted.