METHOD OF FORMING OPTICALLY PERMEABLE IMAGE INSIDE DIAMOND, APPARATUS FOR REALISING SAID METHOD (VERSIONS) AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING SAID IMAGE Russian patent published in 2012 - IPC C30B29/04 C30B33/04 C01B31/06 G01N21/87 G01N21/64 B44B3/00 B28D5/00 A44C17/00 

FIELD: physics.

SUBSTANCE: inside a diamond, in the region free from optically impermeable irregularities, an image is formed, which consists of a given number of optically permeable elements of micrometre or submicrometer size, which are clusters of N-V centres which fluoresce in exciting radiation, wherein formation of clusters of N-V centres is carried out by performing the following operations: treating the diamond with working optical radiation focused in the focal region lying in the region of the assumed region where the cluster of N-V centres is located, while feeding working ultrashort radiation pulses which enable to form a cluster of vacancies in said focal region and which provide integral fluence in said focal region lower than threshold fluence, where there is local conversion of the diamond to graphite or another non-diamond form of carbon; annealing at least said assumed regions where clusters of N-V centres are located, which provide in said regions drift of the formed vacancies and formation of N-V centres, grouped into clusters in the same regions as the clusters of vacancies; controlling the formed image elements based on detection of fluorescence of N-V centres by exposing at least regions where image elements are located to exciting optical radiation, which enables to excite N-V centres and form a digital and/or a three-dimensional model of the formed image. Images formed in diamond crystals from clusters of N-V centres are visible to the naked eye, by a magnifying glass and any optical or electronic microscope.

EFFECT: image from a cluster of N-V centres is inside the crystal, cannot be removed by polishing and is therefore a reliable diamond signature and reliable recording of information without destroying or damaging the crystal itself.

46 cl, 3 dwg