Field-effect detected magnetic resonance of NV centers in diamond based on all-carbon Schottky contacts

The nitrogen vacancy (NV) center is a defect in diamond whose spin state can be read optically by exploiting its photoluminescence or electrically by exploiting its charge generation rate under illumination, both of which being spin-dependent. The latter method offers numerous opportunities in terms of integration and performance compared to conventional optical reading. Here, we investigate the physical properties of a graphitic-diamond-graphitic structure under illumination. We show how, for a type IIa diamond material, electron-hole pairs generated by an ensemble of NV centers lead to a p-type material upon illumination, making this all-carbon structure equivalent to two back-to-back Schottky diodes. We analyze how the reverse current flowing upon illumination changes as a function of bias voltage and radiofrequency-induced excitation of the NV ensemble spin resonances. Furthermore, we demonstrate how an additional field effect arising from the illumination scheme affects the reverse current, resulting in a photoelectrical signal that can exceed the optical signal under the same illumination conditions.