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arXiv:1706.09874 · Nano Letters

Ultrabright Linearly Polarized Photon Generation from a Nitrogen Vacancy Center in a Nanocube Dimer Antenna

Sebastian K. H. Andersen, Shailesh Kumar, Sergey I. Bozhevolnyi

Published May 4, 2017• 87 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We demonstrate an exceptionally bright photon source based on a single nitrogen-vacancy center (NV center) in a nanodiamond (ND) placed in the nanoscale gap between two monocrystalline silver cubes in a dimer configuration. The system is operated near saturation at a stable photon rate of 850 kcps, while we further achieve strongly polarized emission and high single photon purity, evident by the measured autocorrelation with a g (2) (0) value of 0.08. These photon source features are key parameters for quantum technological applications, such as secure communication based on quantum key distribution. The cube antenna is assembled with an atomic force microscope, which allows us to predetermine the dipole orientation of the NV center and optimize cube positioning accordingly, while also tracking the evolution of emission parameters from isolated ND to the one- and two-cube configuration. The experiment is well described by finite element modeling, assuming an instrinsic quantum efficiency of 0.35. We attribute the large photon rate of the assembled photon source, to increased quantum efficiency of the NV center and high antenna efficiency.

DOI
10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b01436

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We demonstrate an exceptionally bright photon source based on a single nitrogen-vacancy center (NV center) in a nanodiamond (ND) placed in the nanoscale gap between two monocrystalline silver cubes in a dimer configuration. The system is operated near saturation at a stable photon rate of 850 kcps, while we further achieve strongly polarized emission and high single photon purity, evident by the measured autocorrelation with a g (2) (0) value of 0.08. These photon source features are key parameters for quantum technological applications, such as secure communication based on quantum key distribution. The cube antenna is assembled with an atomic force microscope, which allows us to predetermine the dipole orientation of the NV center and optimize cube positioning accordingly, while also tracking the evolution of emission parameters from isolated ND to the one- and two-cube configuration. The experiment is well described by finite element modeling, assuming an instrinsic quantum efficiency of 0.35. We attribute the large photon rate of the assembled photon source, to increased quantum efficiency of the NV center and high antenna efficiency.
Spontaneous emission (SE) of nitrogen-vacancy centers (NV-centers), which are contained in a single nanodiamond (ND), placed near a silver nanocube, is investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The ND-cube system is assembled with an atomic force microscope, allowing us to directly compare its SE properties to that of the isolated ND. It is demonstrated that the cube coupled NV-centers exhibit strongly polarized SE. For optimal pump laser polarization, the rate of photons is enhanced by a factor of 4.1, with the excited state lifetime being reduced by a factor of 4.1. The enhancement of photon rate is a consequence of local field enhancement of the pump laser, while the SE polarization and lifetime reduction results from coupling of NV-centers to the localized surface plasmon mode of the nanocube. The experimental observations are in qualitative agreement with the model of SE from randomly oriented electric dipoles, allowing us to reveal the underlying physics of the investigated configuration.
The negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy colour center (NV(-) center) in nanodiamond is an excellent single photon source due to its stable photon generation in ambient conditions, optically addressable nuclear spin state, high quantum yield and its availability in nanometer sized crystals. In order to make practical devices using nanodiamond, highly efficient and directional emission of single photons in well-defined modes, either collimated into free space or waveguides are essential. This is a Herculean task as the photoluminescence of the NV centers is associated with two orthogonal dipoles arranged in a plane perpendicular to the NV defect symmetry axis. Here, we report on a micro-concave waveguide antenna design, which can effectively direct single photons from any emitter into either free space or into waveguides in a narrow cone angle with more than 80% collection efficiency irrespective of the dipole orientation. The device also enhances the spontaneous emission rate which further increases the number of photons available for collection. The waveguide antenna has potential applications in quantum cryptography, quantum computation, spectroscopy and metrology.
Solid-state quantum emitters are in high demand for emerging technologies such as advanced sensing and quantum information processing. Generally, these emitters are not sufficiently bright for practical applications, and a promising solution consists in coupling them to plasmonic nanostructures. Plasmonic nanostructures support broadband modes, making it possible to speed up the fluorescence emission in room-temperature emitters by several orders of magnitude. However, one has not yet achieved such a fluorescence lifetime shortening without a substantial loss in emission efficiency, largely because of strong absorption in metals and emitter bleaching. Here, we demonstrate ultrabright single-photon emission from photostable nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in nanodiamonds coupled to plasmonic nanocavities made of low-loss single-crystalline silver. We observe a 70-fold difference between the average fluorescence lifetimes and a 90-fold increase in the average detected saturated intensity. The nanocavity-coupled NVs produce up to 35 million photon counts per second, several times more than the previously reported rates from room-temperature quantum emitters.
Ultrafast emission rates obtained from quantum emitters coupled to plasmonic nanoantennas have recently opened fundamentally new possibilities in quantum information and sensing applications. Plasmonic nanoantennas greatly improve the brightness of quantum emitters by dramatically shortening their fluorescence lifetimes. Gap plasmonic nanocavities that support strongly confined modes are of particular interest for such applications. We demonstrate single-photon emission from nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in nanodiamonds coupled to nanosized gap plasmonic cavities with internal mode volumes about 10 000 times smaller than the cubic vacuum wavelength. The resulting structures features sub-nanosecond NV excited-state lifetimes and detected photon rates up to 50 million counts per second. Analysis of the fluorescence saturation allows the extraction of the multi-order excitation rate enhancement provided by the nanoantenna. Efficiency analysis shows that the NV center is producing up to 0.25 billion photons per second in the far-field.
The nitrogen vacancy center in diamond in its negative charge state is a promising candidate for quantum optic experiments that require single photon emitters. Important benefits of the NV center are its high brightness and photo-stability, even at room temperature. Engineering the emission properties of NV centers with optical resonators is a widely followed approach to meet the requirements for quantum technological applications, but the effect on non-radiative decay paths is yet to be understood. Here we report on modifying the internal quantum efficiency of a single NV center in a nanodiamond coupled to a 1D photonic crystal cavity. We assess the Purcell enhancement via three independent measurement techniques and perform autocorrelation measurements at elevated excitation powers in confocal microscopy. Employing a three-level model allows us to extract the setup efficiency, individual transition rates and thus the internal quantum efficiency of our system. Combining our results, we find that the enhancement of the radiative decay rate via the Purcell effect results in an internal quantum efficiency of 90 % for cavity-coupled NV centers. Our findings will facilitate the realization of nano-scale single photon sources with near-unity internal quantum efficiencies operating at high repetition rates.
Single-photon sources are essential for quantum technologies, supporting secure communication, quantum computing, and integrated photonic systems. Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in nanodiamonds are robust emitters that operate at room temperature and can be positioned on-chip, but efficient coupling to photonic modes remains challenging. We present the design, fabrication, and experimental characterization of a silicon nitride photonic structure engineered to enhance and extract emission from NV centers. The device features a subwavelength gap between waveguides, a Bragg reflector for emission redirection, and an output waveguide for collection. Simulations guided the optimization of the geometry to increase the spontaneous emission rate through photonic confinement. Nanodiamonds were deposited into the gap using lithographic patterning and drop-casting. Fluorescence lifetime measurements confirm that the structure modifies the emission dynamics of the NV centers. The approach is compatible with scalable fabrication techniques and offers a practical route toward integrated, chip-based single-photon sources.