Single ion detection by ion beam induced luminescence from diamond containing NV centers

Onoda, Shinobu; Abe, Hiroshi; Yamamoto, Takashi; Oshima, Takeshi; Isoya, Junichi*; Teraji, Tokuyuki*; Watanabe, Kenji*

The Ion Photon Emission Microscopy (IPEM) gives us two-dimensional maps of Single Event Effects (SEEs). To observe the map, the position where the single ion strikes a scintillator placed over a microelectronics circuit is recorded together with SEE signal. Since the spatial resolution is determined by the spot size and the intensity of the Ion Beam Induced Luminescence (IBIL), the scintillator is one of the most important parts of IPEM. In this study, we propose that the diamond containing Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) centers can be used as a scintillator. The results obtained from diamond were compared to those of YAG:Ce. For both cases, the averaged spot size of a few micrometers is observed. The IBIL intensity from diamond is 4 times higher than that from YAG:Ce. According to these results, we suggest that diamond containing NV centers is a rival candidate of YAG:Ce from the point of view of single ion detection with high spatial resolution.