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    Efficient growth of preferentially oriented N-V ensemble in diamond

    Xun Zhu1,2,*, Chao-Nan Lin3,*, Xian-Qi Dong1, Cheng-Liang Yue1, Yuan Zhang2, Yan Liu1,†, Qing Lou2,‡, Chong-Xin Shan2, and Ren-Fu Yang1

    • *These authors contributed equally.
    • †Contact author: liuyan@baqis.ac.cn
    • ‡Contact author: louqing1986@zzu.edu.cn

    Phys. Rev. Applied 26, 024077 – Published 26 August, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/j49w-98p8

    Abstract

    The diamond nitrogen-vacancy (N-V) center ensemble exhibits substantial potential for room-temperature quantum sensing. However, its practical implementation has long been limited by spectral line broadening and a reduced signal-to-noise ratio, which arise from multiaxis orientations of the N-V centers. The (111) crystal plane is considered an optimal growth direction, as it enables near-perfect axial alignment of N-V centers (>99%) and enhances photon collection efficiency. Nonetheless, the perfect alignment was maintained at the sacrifices, including low growth rates and limited nitrogen-to-N-V conversion efficiencies. In this study, we demonstrate a microwave plasma chemical vapor process in which a growth rate of 94.0  μm/h (14-fold enhancement to the highest previous record) was achieved with uniform N-V ensemble distribution, an N-V concentration of 0.54 ppm, and a nitrogen-to-N-V conversion efficiency of 4.1%–4.7%. The resulting volume-normalized dc and ac magnetic field sensitivities reached 2.15  nT μm3/2 Hz−1/2 and 0.30  nT μm3/2 Hz−1/2, respectively.

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