Annealing Time Dependence on Creation of SiV, GeV, and SnV in Diamond by Atmospheric Annealing at 1800 °C

Abstract

The creation of SiV−, GeV−, and SnV− are presented by the atmospheric annealing in the argon flow. Compared to high‐pressure annealing, in which gas cannot flow, atmospheric annealing with an inert gas flow not only causes less degradation of the sample surface but also has the advantage of reducing equipment cost and preparation time. Excessive annealing time has been shown to reduce the amount of centers created. The optimal annealing time that maximizes formations depends on the type of diamond sample and the implanted ions. Furthermore, inspired by the split‐vacancy structure of the group IV–V centers, atmospheric pre‐annealing at 600 °C to increase the amount of di‐vacancy is demonstrated, followed by annealing at 1800 °C for 1 min. A shorter duration of high‐temperature annealing is expected to qualitatively reduce stress and deterioration of the crystallinity of the diamond sample.