Silicon-vacancy centers in ultra-thin nanocrystalline diamond films

0499763 - FZÚ 2019 RIV CH eng J - Journal Article
Stehlík, Štěpán - Ondič, Lukáš - Varga, Marián - Fait, Jan - Artemenko, Anna - Glatzel, T. - Kromka, Alexander - Rezek, Bohuslav
Silicon-vacancy centers in ultra-thin nanocrystalline diamond films.
Micromachines. Roč. 9, č. 6 (2018), s. 1-11, č. článku 281. E-ISSN 2072-666X
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GJ18-11711Y; GA ČR GJ16-09692Y
Institutional support: RVO:68378271
Keywords : diamond * color center * nanocrystalline diamond * silicon-vacancy center * Kelvin probe force microscopy * surface photovoltage
OECD category: Condensed matter physics (including formerly solid state physics, supercond.)
Impact factor: 2.426, year: 2018

Here we report the optoelectronic investigation of shallow silicon vacancy (SiV) color centers in ultra-thin (7–40 nm) nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films. We show that hydrogenated ultra-thin NCD films exhibit no or lowered SiV photoluminescence (PL) and relatively high negative surface photovoltage (SPV) which is ascribed to non-radiative electron transitions from SiV to surface-related traps. Higher SiV PL and low positive SPV of oxidized ultra-thin NCD films indicate an efficient excitation—emission PL process without significant electron escape, yet with some hole trapping in diamond surface states. Decreasing SPV magnitude and increasing SiV PL intensity with thickness, in both cases, is attributed to resonant energy transfer between shallow and bulk SiV. We also demonstrate that thermal treatments (annealing in air or in hydrogen gas), are also applicable to ultra-thin NCD films in terms of tuning their SiV PL and surface chemistry.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0292829