Laser Activation of Single Group-IV Colour Centres in Diamond
Xingrui Cheng, Andreas Thurn, Guangzhao Chen, Gareth S. Jones, Maddison Coke, Mason Adshead, Cathryn P. Michaels, Osman Balci, Andrea C. Ferrari, Mete Atatüre, … 展开作者
Xingrui Cheng, Andreas Thurn, Guangzhao Chen, Gareth S. Jones, Maddison Coke, Mason Adshead, Cathryn P. Michaels, Osman Balci, Andrea C. Ferrari, Mete Atatüre, Richard Curry, Jason M. Smith, Patrick S. Salter, Dorian A. Gangloff
备注：
10 pages, 4 figures, methods, and supplementary information
Spin-photon interfaces based on group-IV colour centres in diamond offer a promising platform for quantum networks. A key challenge in the field is realizing precise single-defect positioning and activation, which is crucial for scalable device fabrication. Here we address this problem by demonstrating a two-step fabrication method for tin vacancy (SnV-) centres that uses site-controlled ion implantation followed by local femtosecond laser annealing with in-situ spectral monitoring. The ion implantation is performed with sub-50 nm resolution and a dosage that is controlled from hundreds of ions down to single ions per site, limited by Poissonian statistics. Using this approach, we successfully demonstrate site-selective creation and modification of single SnV- centres. The technique opens a window onto materials tuning at the single defect level, and provides new insight into defect structures and dynamics during the annealing process. While demonstrated for SnV- centres, this versatile approach can be readily generalised to other implanted colour centres in diamond and wide-bandgap materials.
We introduce a process for the fabrication of high quality, spatially isolated nano-diamonds on iridium via microwave plasma assisted CVD-growth. We perform spectroscopy of single silicon-vacancy (SiV)-centres produced during the growth of the nano-diamonds. The colour centres exhibit extraordinary narrow zero-phonon-lines down to 0.7 nm at room temperature. Single photon count rates up to 4.8 Mcps at saturation make these SiV-centres the brightest diamond based single photon sources to date. We measure for the first time the fine structure of a single SiV-centre thus confirming the atomic com…
The novel aspect of the centre (NV-) in diamond is the high degree of spin polarisation achieved through optical illumination. In this paper it is shown that the spin polarisation occurs as a consequence of an electron-vibration interaction combined with spin-orbit interaction, and an electronic model involving these interactions is developed to account for the observed polarisation.
We study single silicon vacancy (SiV) centres in chemical vapour deposition (CVD) nanodiamonds on iridium as well as an ensemble of SiV centres in a high quality, low stress CVD diamond film by using temperature dependent luminescence spectroscopy in the temperature range 5-295 K. We investigate in detail the temperature dependent fine structure of the zero-phonon-line (ZPL) of the SiV centres. The ZPL transition is affected by inhomogeneous as well as temperature dependent homogeneous broadening and blue shifts by about 20 cm-1 upon cooling from room temperature to 5 K. We employ excitation p…
The nitrogen-vacancy colour centre in diamond is emerging as one of the most important solid-state quantum systems. It has applications to fields including high-precision sensing, quantum computing, single photon communication, metrology, nanoscale magnetic imaging and biosensing. For all of these applications, a high quantum yield of emitted photons is desirable. However, diamond samples engineered to have high densities of nitrogen-vacancy centres show levels of brightness varying significantly within single batches, or even within the same sample. Here we show that nearby nitrogen impuritie…
The protocols for the control and readout of Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) centres electron spins in diamond offer an advanced platform for quantum computation, metrology and sensing. These protocols are based on the optical readout of photons emitted from NV centres, which process is limited by the yield of photons collection. Here we report on a novel principle for the detection of NV centres magnetic resonance in diamond by directly monitoring spin-preserving electron transitions through measurement of NV centre related photocurrent. The demonstrated direct detection technique offers a sensitive wa…
We report strong coupling between an ensemble of N impurity (P1) centres in diamond and microwave photons using a unique double post re-entrant cavity. The cavity is designed so that the magnetic component of the cavity field is spatially separated from the electric component and focused into the small volume in which the diamond sample is mounted. The novelty of the structure simultaneously allows high magnetic filling factor (38.4\%) and low frequencies necessary to interact, at low magnetic field, with transitions in diamond such as those in NV$^{-}$ and P1 centres. Coupling strength (or no…
We present a rigorous theoretical model for the optical interaction between a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre in diamond and a plasmonic metal nanoparticle (MNP), accompanied by a computationally efficient procedure to solve the evolution. The proposed model enables us to successfully explain existing optical emission measurements of NV centres both in the presence and absence of a metal nanoparticle. We show that the NV-plasmon interaction provides a versatile new avenue to enhance and control the optical emission of an NV centre. Changes to the MNP type and size, NV-MNP centre separation, subme…
The negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) centre in diamond has many exciting applications in quantum nano-metrology, including magnetometry, electrometry, thermometry and piezometry. Indeed, it is possible for a single NV- centre to measure the complete three-dimensional vector of the local electric field or the position of a single fundamental charge in ambient conditions. However, in order to achieve such vector measurements, near complete knowledge of the orientation of the centre's defect structure is required. Here, we demonstrate an optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) techn…
We propose a high-sensitivity magnetometry scheme based on a diamond Raman laser with visible pump absorption by an ensemble of coherently microwave driven negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centres (NV) in the same diamond crystal. The NV centres' absorption and emission are spin-dependent. We show how the varying absorption of the NV centres changes the Raman laser output. A shift in the diamond Raman laser threshold and output occurs with the external magnetic-field and microwave driving. We develop a theoretical framework including steady-state solutions to describe the effects of coheren…
The recently discovered negatively charged tin-vacancy centre in diamond is a promising candidate for applications in quantum information processing (QIP). We here present a detailed spectroscopic study encompassing single photon emission and polarisation properties, the temperature dependence of emission spectra as well as a detailed analysis of the phonon sideband and Debye-Waller factor. Using photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy (PLE) we probe an energetically higher lying excited state and prove fully lifetime limited linewidths of single emitters at cryogenic temperatures. For these…
The efficiency of collecting photons from optically active defect centres in bulk diamond is greatly reduced by refraction and reflection at the diamond-air interface. We report on the fabrication and measurement of a geometrical solution to the problem; integrated solid immersion lenses (SILs) etched directly into the surface of diamond. An increase of a factor of 10 was observed in the saturated count-rate from a single negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) within a 5um diameter SIL compared with NV-s under a planar surface in the same crystal. A factor of 3 reduction in background emiss…
Negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond are promising quantum magnetic field sensors. Laser threshold magnetometry has been a theoretical approach for the improvement of NV-centre ensemble sensitivity via increased signal strength and magnetic field contrast. In this work we experimentally demonstrate laser threshold magnetometry. We use a macroscopic high-finesse laser cavity containing a highly NV-doped and low absorbing diamond gain medium that is pumped at 532nm and resonantly seeded at 710nm. This enables amplification of the signal power by stimulated emission of 64%. We s…
Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in diamond hold promise in quantum sensing applications. A major interest in them is an enhancement of their sensitivity by the extension of the coherence time ($T_2$). In this report, we experimentally generated more than four dressed states in a single NV centre in diamond based on Autler-Townes splitting (ATS). We also observed the extension of the coherence time to $T_2 \sim$ 1.5 ms which is more than two orders of magnitude longer than that of the undressed states. As an example of a quantum application using these results we propose a protocol of quantum sen…
We investigate phonon induced electronic dynamics in the ground and excited states of the negatively charged silicon-vacancy ($\mathrm{SiV}^-$) centre in diamond. Optical transition line widths, transition wavelength and excited state lifetimes are measured for the temperature range 4-350 K. The ground state orbital relaxation rates are measured using time-resolved fluorescence techniques. A microscopic model of the thermal broadening in the excited and ground states of the $\mathrm{SiV}^-$ centre is developed. A vibronic process involving single-phonon transitions is found to determine orbita…
Focused MeV ion microbeams are suitable tools for the direct writing of conductive graphitic channels buried in an insulating diamond bulk, as demonstrated in previous works with the fabrication of multi-electrode ionizing radiation detectors and cellular biosensors. In this work we investigate the suitability of the fabrication method for the electrical excitation of colour centres in diamond. Differently from photoluminescence, electroluminescence requires an electrical current flowing through the diamond sub-gap states for the excitation of the colour centres. With this purpose, buried grap…
We demonstrate electrical control of the single photon emission spectrum from chromium-based colour centres implanted in monolithic diamond. Under an external electric field the tunability range is typically three orders of magnitude larger than the radiative linewidth and at least one order of magnitude larger than the observed linewidth. The electric and magnetic field dependence of luminescence gives indications on the inherent symmetry and we propose Cr-X or X-Cr-Y type noncentrosymmetric atomic configurations as most probable candidates for these centres.
Circuit-QED has demonstrated very strong coupling between individual microwave photons trapped in a superconducting coplanar resonator and nearby superconducting qubits. In this work we show how, by designing a novel interconnect, one can strongly connect the superconducting resonator, via a magnetic interaction, to a small number (perhaps single), of electronic spins. By choosing the electronic spin to be within a Nitrogen Vacancy centre in diamond one can perform optical readout, polarization and control of this electron spin using microwave and radio frequency irradiation. More importantly,…
We address a problem of generating a robust entangling gate between electronic and nuclear spins in the system of a single nitrogen-vacany centre coupled to a nearest Carbon-13 atom in diamond against certain types of systematic errors such as pulse-length and off-resonance errors. We analyse the robustness of various control schemes: sequential pulses, composite pulses and numerically-optimised pulses. We find that numerically-optimised pulses, produced by the gradient ascent pulse engineering algorithm (GRAPE), are more robust than the composite pulses and the sequential pulses. The optimise…
We report on the coherence properties of single photons from chromium-based colour centres in diamond. We use field-correlation and spectral lineshape measurements to reveal the interplay between slow spectral wandering and fast dephasing mechanisms as a function of temperature. We show that the zero-phonon transition frequency and its linewidth follow a power-law dependence on temperature indicating that the dominant fast dephasing mechanisms for these centres are direct electron-phonon coupling and phonon-modulated Coulomb coupling to nearby impurities. Further, the observed reduction in the…
We investigate spin-dependent decay and intersystem crossing in the optical cycle of single negatively-charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in diamond. We use spin control and pulsed optical excitation to extract both the spin-resolved lifetimes of the excited states and the degree of optically-induced spin polarization. By optically exciting the centre with a series of picosecond pulses, we determine the spin-flip probabilities per optical cycle, as well as the spin-dependent probability for intersystem crossing. This information, together with the indepedently measured decay rate of singlet…
Optically active point defects in crystals have gained widespread attention as photonic systems that can find use in quantum information technologies. However challenges remain in the placing of individual defects at desired locations, an essential element of device fabrication. Here we report the controlled generation of single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in diamond using laser writing. The use of aberration correction in the writing optics allows precise positioning of vacancies within the diamond crystal, and subsequent annealing produces single NV centres with up to 45% success probabili…
Recently, the negatively charged silicon vacancy centre (SiV) in diamond has emerged as a novel promising system for quantum information processing (QIP) due to its superior spectral properties and advantageous electronic structure: The SiV offers an optically accessible Λ-type level structure with a large orbital level splitting even without the need of an external magnetic field and previous studies determined the ground state coherence time of the centre to be on the order of 35-45ns. While these studies already indicate the feasibility of an ultrafast all-optical coherent control of the Si…
Colour centres in diamond have emerged as versatile tools for solid-state quantum technologies ranging from quantum information to metrology, where the nitrogen-vacancy centre is the most studied to-date. Recently, this toolbox has expanded to include different materials for their nanofabrication opportunities, and novel colour centres to realize more efficient spin-photon quantum interfaces. Of these, the silicon-vacancy centre stands out with ultrabright single photon emission predominantly into the desirable zero-phonon line. The challenge for utilizing this centre is to realise the hithert…
A central goal in quantum information science is to efficiently interface photons with single optical modes for quantum networking and distributed quantum computing. Here, we introduce and experimentally demonstrate a compact and efficient method for the low-loss coupling of a solid-state qubit, the nitrogen vacancy (NV) centre in diamond, with a single-mode optical fibre. In this approach, single-mode tapered diamond waveguides containing exactly one high quality NV memory are selected and integrated on tapered silica fibres. Numerical optimization of an adiabatic coupler indicates that near-…
Amplification by stimulated emission of nitrogen vacancy centres in a diamond-loaded fibre cavity
Macquarie University（麦考瑞大学）；Fraunhofer Institut für Angewandte Festkörperphysik (IAF)（弗劳恩霍夫应用固体物理研究所）；National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology（量子科学技术研究机构）；University of Tokyo（东京大学）；RMIT University（皇家墨尔本理工大学）
The ability to measure weak signals such as pressure, force, electric field, and temperature with nanoscale devices and high spatial resolution offers a wide range of applications in fundamental and applied sciences. Here we present a proposal for a hybrid device composed of thin film layers of diamond with color centers implanted and piezo-active elements for the transduction and measurement of a wide variety of physical signals. The magnetic response of a piezomagnetic layer to an external stress or a stress induced by the change of electric field and temperature is shown to affect significa…
The silicon-vacancy centre (SiV) in diamond has interesting vibronic features. We demonstrate that the zero phonon line position can be used to reliably identify the silicon isotope present in a single centre. This is of interest for quantum information applications since only the silicon 29 isotope has nuclear spin. In addition, we demonstrate that the 64 meV line is due to a local vibrational mode of the silicon atom. The presence of a local mode suggests a plausible origin of the isotopic shift of the zero phonon line.
On-demand, high repetition rate sources of indistinguishable, polarised single photons are the key component for future photonic quantum technologies. Colour centres in diamond offer a promising solution, and the narrow line-width of the recently identified nickel-based NE8 centre makes it particularly appealing for realising the transform-limited sources necessary for quantum interference. Here we report the characterisation of dipole orientation and coherence properties of a single NE8 colour centre in a diamond nanocrystal at room-temperature. We observe a single photon coherence time of 0.…
The application of magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy at progressively smaller length scales may eventually permit "chemical imaging" of spins at the surfaces of materials and biological complexes. In particular, the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) centre in diamond has been exploited as an optical transducer for nanoscale nuclear magnetic resonance. However, the spectra of detected spins are generally broadened by their interaction with proximate paramagnetic NV- centres through coherent and incoherent mechanisms. Here we demonstrate a detection technique that can resolve the spec…
Diamond photonics is an ever growing field of research driven by the prospects of harnessing diamond and its colour centres as suitable hardware for solid-state quantum applications. The last two decades have seen the field been shaped by the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre both with breakthrough fundamental physics demonstrations and practical realizations. Recently however, an entire suite of other diamond defects has emerged. They are M V colour centres, where M indicates one of the elements in the IV column of the periodic table Si, Ge, Sn and Pb, and V indicates lattice vacancies, i.e. missi…
Due to interest in both solid state based quantum computing architectures and the application of quantum mechanical systems to nanomagnetometry, there has been considerable recent attention focused on understanding the microscopic dynamics of solid state spin baths and their effects on the coherence of a controllable, coupled central electronic spin. Many analytic approaches are based on simplified phenomenological models in which it is difficult to capture much of the complex physics associated with this system. Conversely, numerical approaches reproduce this complex behaviour, but are limite…
An unexplored diamond defect centre which is found to emit stable single photons at a measured rate of 1.6 MHz at room temperature is reported. The novel centre, identified in chemical vapour deposition grown diamond crystals, exhibits a sharp zero phonon line at 734 nm with a full width at half maximum of ~ 4 nm. The photon statistics confirm the center is a single emitter and provides direct evidence of the first true two-level single quantum system in diamond.
Colour centres in diamond are promising candidates as a platform for quantum technologies and biomedical imaging based on spins and/or photons. Controlling the emission properties of colour centres in diamond is a key requirement for developing efficient single photon sources with high collection efficiency. A number of groups have produced enhancement in the emission rate over narrow wavelength ranges by coupling single emitters in nanodiamond crystals to resonant electromagnetic structures. Here we characterise in detail the spontaneous emission rates of nitrogen-vacancy centres positioned i…
New magnetometry techniques based on Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) defects in diamond allow for the imaging of static (DC) and oscillatory (AC) nanoscopic magnetic systems. However, these techniques require accurate knowledge and control of the sample dynamics, and are thus limited in their ability to image fields arising from rapidly fluctuating (FC) environments. We show here that FC fields place restrictions on the DC field sensitivity of an NV qubit magnetometer, and that by probing the dephasing rate of the qubit in a magnetic FC environment, we are able to measure fluctuation rates and RMS field…
Stimulated emission is the process fundamental to laser operation, thereby producing coherent photon output. Despite negatively-charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV$^-$) centres being discussed as a potential laser medium since the 1980's, there have been no definitive observations of stimulated emission from ensembles of NV$^-$ to date. Reasons for this lack of demonstration include the short excited state lifetime and the occurrence of photo-ionisation to the neutral charge state by light around the zero-phonon line. Here we show both theoretical and experimental evidence for stimulated emission fro…
Waveguide-integrated colour centres in silicon carbide with broadband photonic crystal reflectors for efficient readout
University of Stuttgart（斯图加特大学）；Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin（柏林洪堡大学）；Ferdinand-Braun-Institut gGmbH, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik（费迪南德·布劳恩研究所（莱布尼茨高频技术研究所））；Leibniz-Institute of Surface Engineering (IOM)（莱布尼茨表面工程研究所）；Linköping University（林雪平大学）；Max Planck Insitute for Solid State Research（马克斯·普朗克固相研究所）
The ability to sensitively detect charges under ambient conditions would be a fascinating new tool benefitting a wide range of researchers across disciplines. However, most current techniques are limited to low-temperature methods like single-electron transistors (SET), single-electron electrostatic force microscopy and scanning tunnelling microscopy. Here we open up a new quantum metrology technique demonstrating precision electric field measurement using a single nitrogen-vacancy defect centre(NV) spin in diamond. An AC electric field sensitivity reaching ~ 140V/cm/\surd Hz has been achieved…
Modelling and experimental verification of photoelectrical response of NV diamond spin centres
Hasselt University（哈瑟尔特大学）；Czech Technical University in Prague（布拉格捷克理工大学）；IMEC（imec研究所）；Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS（捷克科学院有机化学与生物化学研究所）
We are proposing a novel fabrication method for single crystal diamond scanning probes, exploiting the method of Faraday cage angled etching (FCAE). Electron-beam lithography (EBL) and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching as state-of-the-art method is often limiting the achievable diamond structure geometries in aspect ratio and complexity. This poses challenges, e.g., for realizing nitrogen vacancy (NV) centre magnetometry scanning probes. Combining a planar design with FCAE offers several advantages over the established fabrication technology of nano-opto-mechanical diamond devices. Here…
We propose a high efficiency high fidelity measurement of the ground state spin of a single NV center in diamond, using the effects of cavity quantum electrodynamics. The scheme we propose is based in the one dimensional atom or Purcell regime, removing the need for high Q cavities that are challenging to fabricate. The ground state of the NV center consists of three spin levels $^{3}A_{(m=0)}$ and $^{3}A_{(m=\pm1)}$ (the $\pm1$ states are near degenerate in zero field). These two states can undergo transitions to the excited ($^{3}E$) state, with an energy difference of $\approx7-10$ $μ$eV be…
Optically addressable spin defects in silicon carbide (SiC) are an emerging platform for quantum information processing. Lending themselves to modern semiconductor nanofabrication, they promise scalable high-efficiency spin-photon interfaces. We demonstrate here nanoscale fabrication of silicon vacancy centres (VSi) in 4H-SiC without deterioration of their intrinsic spin-optical properties. In particular, we show nearly transform limited photon emission and record spin coherence times for single defects generated via ion implantation and in triangular cross section waveguides. For the latter, …
Levitated diamond nanocrystals with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in high vacuum have been proposed as a unique system for experiments in fundamental quantum mechanics, including the generation of large quantum superposition states and tests of quantum gravity. This system promises extreme isolation from its environment while providing quantum control and sensing through the NV centre spin. While optical trapping has been the most explored method of levitation, recent results indicate that excessive optical heating of the nanodiamonds under vacuum may make the method impractical with currently…
A fully integrated quantum optical technology requires active quantum systems incorporated into resonant optical microstructures and inter-connected in three dimensions via photonic wires. Nitrogen vacancy-centres (NV-centres) in diamond which are excellent photostable room temperature single-photon emitters are ideal candidates for that purpose. Extensive research efforts to couple NV-centres to photonic structures such as optical microresonators, microcavities, and waveguides have been pursued. Strategies for integration range from top-down fabrication via etching of diamond membranes to sop…
Single photon emitters in silicon carbide (SiC) are attracting attention as quantum photonic systems. However, to achieve scalable devices it is essential to generate single photon emitters at desired locations on demand. Here we report the controlled creation of single silicon vacancy ($V_{Si}$) centres in 4H-SiC using laser writing without any post-annealing process. Due to the aberration correction in the writing apparatus and the non-annealing process, we generate single $V_{Si}$ centres with yields up to 30%, located within about 80 nm of the desired position in the transverse plane. We a…
The detection of physiological activity at the microscopic level is key for understanding the function of biosystems and relating this to physical structure. Current sensing methods often rely on invasive probes to stimulate and detect activity, bearing the risk of inducing damage in the target system. In recent years, a new type of biosensor based on color centers in diamond offers the possibility to passively, noninvasively sense and image living biological systems. Here, we use such a sensor for the \textit{in-vitro} recording of the local magnetic field generated by tightly focused, high i…
Sensing of signals from biological processes, such as action potential propagation in nerves, are essential for clinical diagnosis and basic understanding of physiology. Sensing can be performed electrically by placing sensor probes near or inside a living specimen or dissected tissue using well established electrophysiology techniques. However, these electrical probe techniques have poor spatial resolution and cannot easily access tissue deep within a living subject, in particular within the brain. An alternative approach is to detect the magnetic field induced by the passage of the electrica…
The nitrogen-vacancy centre (NV) has drawn much attention for over a decade, yet detailed knowledge of the photophysics needs to be established. Under typical conditions, the NV can have two stable charge states, negative (NV-) or neutral (NV0), with photo induced interconversion of these two states. Here, we present detailed studies of the ionization dynamics of single NV centres in bulk diamond at room temperature during illumination in dependence of the excitation wavelength and power. We apply a recent method which allows us to directly measure the charge state of a single NV centre, and o…
Spin impurities in diamond have emerged as a promising building block in a wide range of solid-state-based quantum technologies. The negatively charged silicon-vacancy centre combines the advantages of its high-quality photonic properties with a ground-state electronic spin, which can be read out optically. However, for this spin to be operational as a quantum bit, full quantum control is essential. Here, we report the measurement of optically detected magnetic resonance and the demonstration of coherent control of a single silicon-vacancy centre spin with a microwave field. Using Ramsey inter…
Operating reconfigurable quantum circuits with single photon sources is a key goal of photonic quantum information science and technology. We use an integrated waveguide device comprising of directional couplers and a reconfigurable thermal phase controller to manipulate single photons emitted from a chromium related colour centre in diamond. Observation of both a wave-like interference pattern and particle-like sub-Poissionian autocorrelation functions demonstrates coherent manipulation of single photons emitted from the chromium related centre and verifies wave particle duality.
