Magnetic noise from ultra-thin abrasively deposited materials on diamond

Abstract

Sensing techniques based on the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre in diamond have emerged as promising candidates to characterise ultra-thin and 2D materials. An outstanding challenge to this goal is isolating the contribution of 2D materials from undesired contributions arising from surface contamination, and changes to the diamond surface induced by the sample or transfer process. Here we report on such a scenario, in which the abrasive deposition of trace amounts of materials onto a diamond gives rise to a previously unreported source of magnetic noise. By deliberately scratching the diamond surface with macroscopic blocks of various metals (Fe, Cu, Cr, Au), we are able to form ultra-thin structures (i.e. with thicknesses down to $<1$\,nm), and find that these structures give rise to a broadband source of noise. Explanation for these effects are discussed, including spin and charge noise native to the sample and/or induced by sample-surface interactions, and indirect effects, where the deposited material affects the charge stability and magnetic environment of the sensing layer. This work illustrates the high sensitivity of NV noise spectroscopy to ultra-thin materials down to sub-nm regimes -- a key step towards the study of 2D electronic systems -- and highlights the need to passivate the diamond surface for future sensing applications in ultra-thin and 2D materials.

arXiv comment12 pages, 11 figures, including Appendix

References in corpus (31)

• Magic-angle graphene superlattices: a new platform for unconventional superconductivity
• Layer-dependent Ferromagnetism in a van der Waals Crystal down to the Monolayer Limit
• Discovery of intrinsic ferromagnetism in 2D van der Waals crystals
• Correlated Insulator Behaviour at Half-Filling in Magic Angle Graphene Superlattices
• The nitrogen-vacancy colour centre in diamond
• Magnetometry with nitrogen-vacancy defects in diamond
• Probing condensed matter physics with magnetometry based on nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond
• Temperature and magnetic field dependent longitudinal spin relaxation in nitrogen-vacancy ensembles in diamond
• Chemical control of the charge state of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond
• Magnetic spin imaging under ambient conditions with sub-cellular resolution
• Quantum imaging of current flow in graphene
• On the surface paramagnetism of diamond
• Measuring the quantum efficiency of single radiating dipoles using a scanning mirror
• Detection of atomic spin labels in a lipid bi-layer using a single-spin nanodiamond probe
• Tailoring spin defects in diamond
• Nanoscale electrical conductivity imaging using a nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond
• Spin properties of dense near-surface ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond
• Spatial mapping of band bending in semiconductor devices using in-situ quantum sensors
• All-optical sensing of a single-molecule electron spin
• Scanning nano-spin ensemble microscope for nanoscale magnetic and thermal imaging
• Scanning Quantum Decoherence Microscopy
• Single Defect Center Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy on Graphene
• Detecting External Electron Spins Using Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers
• Relaxometry and dephasing imaging of superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles using a single qubit
• Wide-band, nanoscale magnetic resonance spectroscopy using quantum relaxation of a single spin in diamond
• Two-dimensional nanoscale imaging of gadolinium spins via scanning probe relaxometry with a single spin in diamond
• Magnetic noise spectroscopy as a probe of local electronic correlations in two-dimensional systems
• Impact of surface functionalisation on the quantum coherence of nitrogen vacancy centres in nanodiamond
• Coupled charge and spin dynamics in high-density ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond
• Proximity-induced artefacts in magnetic imaging with nitrogen-vacancy ensembles in diamond
• Quantitative stray field imaging of a magnetic vortex core

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Diamond surface engineering for molecular sensing with nitrogen-vacancy centers
• Microscopic imaging of elastic deformation in diamond via in-situ stress tensor sensors
• Laser modulation of superconductivity in a cryogenic widefield nitrogen-vacancy microscope
• Imaging graphene field-effect transistors on diamond using nitrogen-vacancy microscopy
• Apparent delocalisation of the current flow in metallic wires observed with diamond nitrogen-vacancy magnetometry
• Reliable Nanofabrication of Single-Crystal Diamond Photonic Nanostructures for Nanoscale Sensing
• High-resolution spectroscopy of a single nitrogen-vacancy defect at zero magnetic field
• Widefield quantum microscopy with nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond: strengths, limitations, and prospects