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6CCVD Research

Investigations of optical aberration on quantum diamond microscopy toward high spatial resolution and sensitivity

At a Glance

Section titled “At a Glance”
MetadataDetails
Publication Date2025-05-01
JournalReview of Scientific Instruments
AuthorsShunsuke Nishimura, Moeta Tsukamoto, Kento Sasaki, Kensuke Kobayashi
InstitutionsInstitute for Physics, The University of Tokyo
Citations1

Abstract

Section titled “Abstract”

Quantum diamond microscopy (QDM), which employs nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center ensembles, is a promising approach to quantitatively imaging magnetic fields with both high resolution that approaches the diffraction limit and a wide field of view. The commonly adopted setups of QDM capture the photoluminescence through transparent diamonds, which inevitably entail aberrations—optical errors that degrade the optical resolution and contrast of the obtainable image. In this study, we delve into the impact of optical aberrations, focusing on their dependence on diamond thickness. We first introduce a rigorous model [B. Richards et al., Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A 253, 358-379 (1959) and J. Braat et al., J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 20, 2281-2292 (2003)] of diffraction that incorporates aberrations, producing the NV center optical image. We confirm that this model accurately reproduces the confocal images of single NV centers obtained at various depths in diamonds. Extending this model to a wide-field microscope, we find that the model also accurately reproduces the USAF 1951 resolution test chart obtained through diamonds of various thicknesses. Based on these investigations, we quantitatively assess the consequent resolution constraints and propose thinning the diamond as a viable solution. We present a robust method to quantitatively ascertain resolution in optical systems influenced by aberrations caused by ray transmission through diamonds. For instance, for a typical microscope with an objective lens of NA = 0.7, the diffraction limit is achievable through diamonds that are 30 μm thick, and a resolution of 1 μm is obtained through diamonds that are 100 μm thick. Those results open up avenues for enhanced performance in QDM.

Tech Support

Section titled “Tech Support”

Original Source

Section titled “Original Source”

References

Section titled “References”
  1. 2021 - Widefield quantum microscopy with nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond: Strengths, limitations, and prospects [Crossref]
  2. 2017 - Quantum imaging of current flow in graphene [Crossref]
  3. 2019 - Imaging graphene field-effect transistors on diamond using nitrogen-vacancy microscopy [Crossref]
  4. 2020 - Imaging viscous flow of the Dirac fluid in graphene [Crossref]
  5. 2020 - Simultaneous wide-field imaging of phase and magnitude of AC magnetic signal using diamond quantum magnetometry [Crossref]
  6. 2022 - Imaging current paths in silicon photovoltaic devices with a quantum diamond microscope [Crossref]
  7. 2023 - Nitrogen-vacancy magnetometry of CrSBr by diamond membrane transfer [Crossref]
  8. 2019 - Color centers in diamond as novel probes of superconductivity [Crossref]
  9. 2020 - Laser modulation of superconductivity in a cryogenic wide-field nitrogen-vacancy microscope [Crossref]
  10. 2023 - Wide-field quantitative magnetic imaging of superconducting vortices using perfectly aligned quantum sensors [Crossref]

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