Enhanced quantum properties of shallow diamond atomic defects through nitrogen surface termination

Nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have emerged in recent years as leading quantum sensors in various modalities. Most applications benefit from shallow NVs, enabling higher sensitivity and resolution. However, near-surface NVs (<20 nm depth) suffer from reduced stability and coherence properties due to additional noise. We demonstrate a novel surface termination technique based on nitrogen plasma under non-damaging conditions, achieving significant improvement in NV optical stability and quantum coherence. X-Ray characterization of the nitrogen-terminated diamond surface suggests limited charge transfer between the NV centers and surface electronic states compared to oxygen-terminated diamond.