Charge stabilization of shallow nitrogen-vacancy centers using graphene/diamond junctions

We studied the charge-state stabilization of shallow nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in (111) diamond using graphene/diamond junctions. Measurement of the fluorescence stability and evaluation of the charge-state stability were conducted on the NV centers at the graphene and the graphene-free region. The results revealed that about half of the total NV centers (NV0 + NV-) at the graphene-free region were unstable, while over 90% of the measured NV centers at the graphene region were stabilized as NV- centers. Graphene/diamond junctions contribute significantly to charge-state stabilization of shallow NV- centers in (111) diamond. (c) 2023 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

We investigated the charge-state stabilization of shallow nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in (111) diamond using graphene/diamond junctions. Fluorescence stability and charge-state stability were measured on NV centers in both the graphene and graphene-free regions. The results showed that about half of the NV centers in the graphene-free region were unstable, while over 90% of the measured NV centers in the graphene region were stabilized as NV- centers. Graphene/diamond junctions significantly contribute to the charge-state stabilization of shallow NV- centers in (111) diamond.