Photoluminescence studies of growth-sector dependence of nitrogen distribution in synthetic Ib diamond

• The growth sectors were clearly distinguished by CL technology.
• The N distribution was investigated by the examination of PL spectroscopy.
• Results showed that {111} has the highest N, followed by {311}, {100} and {511}.
• The conclusion was reconfirmed by the PL results of NV center.

The photoluminescence technology previously employed to investigate the boron distribution of type IIb diamond has now been applied to study the nitrogen distribution of type Ib diamond. All growth sectors were clearly distinguished by the characteristic colors and the brightness of the synthetic Ib diamond's cathodoluminescence topography. As a measure of the concentration of nitrogen impurity, the nitrogen-vacancy luminescence gave relative concentrations in different growth sectors as: the {111} sector was the highest, followed by the {311}, {100} and {511} sectors. The results were reconfirmed by the evidence of the broadened and strengthened zero phonon lines of nitrogen-vacancy center with the increase of nitrogen concentration of type Ib diamond.