| abstract |
A method of fabricating a synthetic diamond material comprises providing a synthetic diamond substrate 1, growing further diamond material on a surface of the substrate by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) and processing the surface to form a sensing surface having a surface region of further diamond material 7, 8, 9 adjacent to substrate diamond material, wherein the quantum spin defect concentration of the further diamond material is at least ten times greater than that of the substrate material. The method preferably comprises forming at least one depression (2, 3, 4, figure 3) in the surface of the diamond substrate, most preferably by etching, grinding or polishing, and growing the further diamond material in the depression. The quantum spin defects are preferably negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy defects. Processing may comprise irradiation or annealing. The material may be used in the sensor of a microfluidic cell or in a magnetrometry sensing probe. A synthetic diamond material may comprise first, second and third surface regions respectively comprising further diamond material (7, 8, 9, figure 11), substrate diamond material and boron-doped diamond material (12). |