Multilevel Optical Labeling by Spectral Luminescence Control in Nanodiamond Color Centers

Fluorescence Lifetime Control of Nitrogen Vacancy Centers in Nanodiamonds for Long-Term Information Storage

Today's huge amount of data generation and transfer induced an urgent requirement for long-term data storage. Here, we demonstrate and discuss a concept for long-term storage using NV centers inside nanodiamonds. The approach is based upon the radiation-induced generation of additional vacancies (so-called GR1 states), which quench the initial NV centers, resulting in a reduced overall fluorescence lifetime of the NV center. Using the tailored fluorescence lifetime of the NV center to code the information, we demonstrate a "beyond binary" data storage density per bit. We also demonstrate that this process is reversible by heating the sample or the spot of information. This proof of principle shows that our technique may be a promising alternative data storage technology, especially in terms of long-term storage, due to the high stability of the involved color centers. In addition to the proof-of-principle demonstration using macroscopic samples, we suggest and discuss the usage of focused electron beams to write information in nanodiamond materials, to read it out with focused low-intensity light, and to erase it on the macro-, micro-, or nanoscale.

Duo Emission of CVD Nanodiamonds Doped by SiV and GeV Color Centers: Effects of Growth Conditions

The investigation of the hot filament chemical vapor deposition nanodiamonds with simultaneously embedded luminescent GeV⁻ and SiV⁻ color centers from solid sources showed that both the absolute and relative intensities of their zero-phonon lines (at 602 and 738 nm) depend on nanodiamond growth conditions (a methane concentration in the CH₄/H₂ gas mixture, growth temperature, and time). It is shown that a controlled choice of parameters of hot filament chemical vapor deposition synthesis makes it possible to select the optimal synthesis conditions for tailoring bicolor fluorescence nanodiamond labels for imaging biological systems.