X-ray quantification of oxygen groups on diamond surfaces for quantum applications

Dontschuk, N. and Rodgers, L. V. H. and Chou, J. P. and Evans, D. A. and O’Donnell, K. M. and Johnson, H. J. and Tadich, A. and Schenk, A. K. and Gali, Ádám and Leon, N. P. de and Stacey, A. (2023) X-ray quantification of oxygen groups on diamond surfaces for quantum applications. MATERIALS FOR QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY, 3 (4). No.-045901. ISSN 2633-4356

Preview	Text Dontschuk_2023_Mater_Quantum_Technol_3_045901.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB) | Preview
Preview	Text paper_MatQuantTech_10.1088_2633-4356ad001b.pdf - Submitted Version Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Identifying the surface chemistry of diamond materials is increasingly important for device applications, especially quantum sensors. Oxygen-related termination species are widely used because they are naturally abundant, chemically stable, and compatible with stable nitrogen vacancy centres near the diamond surface. Diamond surfaces host a mixture of oxygen-related species, and the precise chemistry and relative coverage of different species can lead to dramatically different electronic properties, with direct consequences for near-surface quantum sensors. However, it is challenging to unambiguously identify the different groups or quantify the relative surface coverage. Here we show that a combination of x-ray absorption and photoelectron spectroscopies can be used to quantitatively identify the coverage of carbonyl functional groups on the diamond surface. Using this method we reveal an unexpectedly high fraction of carbonyl groups ( 9%) on a wide range of sample surfaces. Furthermore, through a combination of ab initio calculations and spectroscopic studies of engineered surfaces, we reveal unexpected complexities in the x-ray spectroscopy of oxygen terminated diamond surfaces. Of particular note, we find the binding energies of carbonyl-related groups on diamond differs significantly from other organic systems, likely resulting in previous misestimation of carbonyl fractions on diamond surfaces.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item