Sn-V centers in diamond activated by ultra high pressure and high temperature treatment

We investigate the activation of Sn-V centers in diamond through ions implantation and the subsequent high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) treatment at 15 GPa and 2300 °C. Sn ions is implanted at fluences greater than 2 × 1014 cm−2 by varying the acceleration voltage up to 180 kV, which results in a Sn distribution with a uniform concentration of 1 × 1020 cm−3 down to a depth of 50 nm from the surface. The subsequent HPHT treatment recovers the transparent appearance and preserves the introduced Sn ions. The sample shows emission peaks composed of four levels that originate from the Sn-V centers. The two distinct emission peaks from the lower excited states to the split ground states are stable up to 77 K. At 10 K, these peaks are clearly observable at excitation powers spanning two orders of magnitude, which suggests the preferential carrier capture at these centers.