NV-center diamond cantilevers: Extending the range of available fabrication methods

We present an alternative fabrication process for single crystal diamond cantilevers that consist of a platform carrying a nanopillar containing nitrogen vacancy centers close to its surface. These cantilevers are suitable for vector magnetometry by fitting them to the scanning unit of an atomic force microscope. Our methods extend existing technology to lower electron voltages (30 kV) and standard reactive ion etching. Special procedures are presented to overcome both restrictions due to charging of the diamond during electron beam lithography and limitations of the etch depth due to the low plasma density in reactive ion etching systems. The presence of nitrogen vacancy centers in the fabricated nanostructures is confirmed by photoluminescence measurements. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.