Investigating relative population partitioning in the presence of B$^-_\text{C}$ defects in diamond

Abstract

Leveraging our earlier formalism for charge-state decay [see R. Kuate Defo et al., 108 235208 (2023)], we investigate relative population partitioning in the presence of singly negatively charged substitutional boron impurities (B$^-_{\rm C}$) in diamond samples, where these diamond samples also contain substitutional nitrogen (N$_{\rm C }$) impurities and have ether-terminated surfaces. Effectively, given any two defects, one donor and one acceptor, such that their charge-transition levels, their relative populations, and the temperature are known, the timescale for charge transfer between the two defects is completely determined. We use this insight and experimental measurements for the timescale for charge transfer between NV$^-$ centers and N$_{\rm C}$ hybridized with the ether-terminated surface of diamond, as well as the temperature and the relative populations for the NV$^-$ centers, [see Z. Yuan et al., Phys. Rev. Res. 2, 033263 (2020)] to argue that an additional defect must be modulating the relative populations of N$_{\rm C}$ hybridized with the ether-terminated surface of diamond. The shifts in the local Fermi level for N$_{\rm C}$ hybridized with the ether-terminated surface of diamond are consistent with the additional defect being a substitutional boron impurity (B$_{\rm C}$). Ultimately, our results allow for the determination of local relative concentrations of ionized defects.