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arXiv:2410.04942 · Europhysics Letters (EPL)

Harnessing individual nitrogen-vacancy centers with a compact and portable confocal microscope

I. Panadero, José Carlos Guerra Copete, E. Caravaca, F. J. Hidalgo, Pablo Acedo, C. de Dios, E. Torrontegui

Published Jan 17, 2025• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract Recent advancements in quantum technology have highlighted the potential of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. However, realizing this potential requires overcoming challenges associated with the size, complexity, and cost of current optical systems. In this Perspective, we present a compact and portable confocal setup designed for efficient detection, initialization, and readout of single NV center photoluminescence signals, enabling coherent spin control and nanoscale-resolution magnetic field sensing.

DOI
10.1209/0295-5075/ada968

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Abstract Recent advancements in quantum technology have highlighted the potential of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. However, realizing this potential requires overcoming challenges associated with the size, complexity, and cost of current optical systems. In this Perspective, we present a compact and portable confocal setup designed for efficient detection, initialization, and readout of single NV center photoluminescence signals, enabling coherent spin control and nanoscale-resolution magnetic field sensing.
Abstract Recent advancements in quantum technology have highlighted the potential of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. However, fully realizing this potential requires addressing challenges related to the size, complexity, and cost of current optical systems used for NV center manipulation. In this work, we present a compact and portable confocal setup specifically designed for the efficient detection and control of single NV centers. Our system facilitates optical initialization and readout of individual NV center photoluminescence signals, enabling coherent spin control and nanoscale-resolution magnetic field sensing.
Single nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond serve as a photonic platform for quantum sensing and computing applications. They can be created deterministically using femtosecond laser pulses. Such writing process requires high-resolution fluorescence detection with a high signal-to-noise ratio, which is accomplished by setting up a homebuilt confocal fluorescence microscope. The microscope shall monitor the fluorescence of newly formed NV centers during the writing process. In addition, it will be used to characterize the NV centers’ spin coherence times, orientation in the diamond lattice and single-emitter characteristics via the intensity correlation function g(2)(tau). In the future, this setup is also planned to be employed for STED-microscopy of twin NV centers.
Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have become an important instrument for quantum sensing and quantum information science. However, the readout of NV spin state requires bulky optical setups, limiting fabrication of miniaturized compact devices for practical use. Here we realized photoelectrical detection of magnetic resonance as well as Rabi oscillations on a single-defect level. Furthermore, photoelectrical imaging of individual NV centers at room temperature was demonstrated, surpassing conventional optical readout methods by providing high imaging contrast and signal-to-noise ratio. These results pave the way toward fully integrated quantum diamond devices.
Individual, luminescent point defects in solids, so-called color centers, are atomic-sized quantum systems enabling sensing and imaging with nanoscale spatial resolution. In this overview, we introduce nanoscale sensing based on individual nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. We discuss two central challenges of the field: first, the creation of highly-coherent, shallow NV centers less than 10 nm below the surface of a single-crystal diamond; second, the fabrication of tip-like photonic nanostructures that enable efficient fluorescence collection and can be used for scanning probe imaging based on color centers with nanoscale resolution.
Precise positioning of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers is crucial for their application in sensing and quantum information. Here we present a new purely optical technique enabling determination of the NV position with nanometer resolution. We use a confocal microscope to determine the position of individual emitters along the optical axis. Using two separate detection channels, it is possible to simultaneously measure reflected light from the diamond surface and fluorescent light from the NV center and statistically evaluate both signals. An accuracy of 2.6 nm for shallow NV centers was achieved and is consistent with other techniques for depth determination.
Diamond quantum technologies based on color centers have rapidly emerged in the most recent years. The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color center has attracted a particular interest, thanks to its outstanding spin properties and optical addressability. The NV center has been used to realize innovative multimode quantum-enhanced sensors that offer an unprecedented combination of high sensitivity and spatial resolution at room temperature. The technological progress and the widening of potential sensing applications have induced an increasing demand for performance advances of NV quantum sensors. Quantum control plays a key role in responding to this demand. This short review affords an overview on recent advances in quantum control-assisted quantum sensing and spectroscopy of magnetic fields.