Optically Coherent Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Micrometer-Thin Etched Diamond Membranes
At a Glance
Section titled āAt a Glanceā| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2019-05-28 |
| Journal | Nano Letters |
| Authors | Maximilian Ruf, Mark IJspeert, Suzanne van Dam, Nick de Jong, Hans van den Berg |
| Institutions | Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, QuTech |
| Citations | 97 |
Abstract
Section titled āAbstractāDiamond membrane devices containing optically coherent nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers are key to enable novel cryogenic experiments such as optical ground-state cooling of hybrid spin-mechanical systems and efficient entanglement distribution in quantum networks. Here, we report on the fabrication of a (3.4 Ā± 0.2) Ī¼m thin, smooth (surface roughness r<sub>q</sub> < 0.4 nm over an area of 20 Ī¼m by 30 Ī¼m) diamond membrane containing individually resolvable, narrow linewidth (< 100 MHz) NV centers. We fabricate this sample via a combination of high-energy electron irradiation, high-temperature annealing, and an optimized etching sequence found via a systematic study of the diamond surface evolution on the microscopic level in different etch chemistries. Although our particular device dimensions are optimized for cavity-enhanced entanglement generation between distant NV centers in open, tunable microcavities, our results have implications for a broad range of quantum experiments that require the combination of narrow optical transitions and micrometer-scale device geometry.