Diamonds with a high density of nitrogen-vacancy centers for magnetometry applications

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in millimeter-scale diamond samples were produced by irradiation and subsequent annealing under varied conditions. The optical and spin-relaxation properties of these samples were characterized using confocal microscopy, visible and infrared absorption, and optically detected magnetic resonance. The sample with the highest NV(-) concentration, approximately 16 ppm (2.8 x 10(18) cm(-3)), was prepared with no observable traces of neutrally charged vacancy defects. The effective transverse spin-relaxation time for this sample was T(2)* = 118 (48) ns, predominately limited by residual paramagnetic nitrogen which was determined to have a concentration of 49(7) ppm. Under ideal conditions, the shot-noise limited sensitivity is projected to be similar to 150 fT/root Hz for a 100 mu m-scale magnetometer based on this sample. Other samples with NV(-) concentrations from 0.007 to 12 ppm and effective relaxation times ranging from 27 to over 291 ns were prepared and characterized.