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Optics Letters

Controlled coupling of a single-diamond nanocrystal to a photonic crystal cavity

Michael Barth, Nils Nüsse, Bernd Löchel, Oliver J. Benson

Published Mar 30, 2009• 96 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We demonstrate the controlled coupling of a single diamond nanocrystal to a planar photonic crystal double-heterostructure cavity. A dip-pen deposition method and subsequent manipulation with an atomic force microscope was used to precisely position the nanocrystal on top of the cavity. The optical properties of this combined system are investigated with regard to changes in the quality factor and resonance wavelength of the cavity mode as a function of the size and relative position of the diamond nanocrystal. These studies represent an important step toward well-controlled cavity-QED experiments with single-defect centers in diamond.

DOI
10.1364/ol.34.001108

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We demonstrate the controlled coupling of a single diamond nanocrystal to a planar photonic crystal double-heterostructure cavity. A dip-pen deposition method and subsequent manipulation with an atomic force microscope was used to precisely position the nanocrystal on top of the cavity. The optical properties of this combined system are investigated with regard to changes in the quality factor and resonance wavelength of the cavity mode as a function of the size and relative position of the diamond nanocrystal. These studies represent an important step toward well-controlled cavity-QED experiments with single-defect centers in diamond.
Summary form only given. Deterministic coupling of a single emitter to a photonic crystal cavity is an important step towards the realization of integrated solid-state devices for quantum photonics. As single emitters, color centers in diamond, e.g. the Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) center or the Silicon-Vacancy (SiV) center have attracted significant interest due to their extraordinary properties like long spin-coherence times or narrowband and bright single photon emission, respectively. For the realization of recent proposals like cavity-enhanced spin measurements or cavity-enhanced single photon sources, it is necessary to couple single color centers to a cavity with small mode volume and high quality factor. Photonic crystal cavities directly fabricated within a monocrystalline diamond membrane are well suited for this task, as they offer tiny mode volumes for efficient emitter-cavity coupling as well as scalable architectures for integrated photonic devices.In order to achieve controlled coupling of a color center to a photonic crystal cavity, several challenges have to be tackled, e.g. exact emitter positioning and alignment of its dipole moment with the cavity electric field as well as the ability for cavity tuning. For deterministic emitter-cavity positioning, two different routes can be pursued: In the first approach, a single emitter is localized within the diamond, its dipole orientation is determined and the cavity is subsequently structured around it. In the second approach, the cavity is fabricated first and a single color center is created within the cavity, e.g. via ion implantion or creation of vacancies. Here we present strategies to realize both methods for deterministic emitter-cavity coupling. For the first approach, we use a monocrystalline diamond film containing single SiV centers. Figure 1a) shows a fluorescence scan of a single SiV center with position markers next to it. The position markers are subsequently used to structure a photonic crystal cavity around the color center using focused ion beam milling [1]. Figures 1b) and c) show SEMimages before and after the cavity fabrication. The photonic crystal lattice constant a ≈ 283nm is chosen such that the cavity modes are red shifted with respect to the SiV emission lines. Using an oxidation tuning method, the cavity modes are tuned into resonance with the zero-phonon line at 740nm of a single SiV center (see Fig. 1d)). On resonance, we measure an intensity enhancement by a factor of 3.8 compared to the off-resonant case.
Abstract We demonstrate the ability to modify the emission properties and enhance the interaction strength of single‐photon emitters coupled to nanophotonic structures based on metals and dielectrics. Assembly of individual diamond nanocrystals, metal nanoparticles, and photonic crystal cavities to meta‐structures is introduced. Experiments concerning controlled coupling of single defect centers in nanodiamonds to optical nanoantennas made of gold bowtie structures are reviewed. By placing one and the same emitter at various locations with high precision, a map of decay rate enhancements was obtained. Furthermore, we demonstrate the formation of a hybrid cavity quantum electrodynamics system in which a single defect center is coupled to a single mode of a gallium phosphite photonic crystal cavity.
We demonstrate optical coupling between a single tin-vacancy (SnV) center in diamond and a free-standing photonic crystal nanobeam cavity. The cavities are fabricated using quasi-isotropic etching and feature experimentally measured quality factors as high as ∼11 000. We investigate the dependence of a single SnV center's emission by controlling the cavity wavelength using a laser-induced gas desorption technique. Under resonance conditions, we observe an intensity enhancement of the SnV emission by a factor of 12 and a 16-fold reduction of the SnV lifetime. Based on the large enhancement of the SnV emission rate inside the cavity, we estimate the Purcell factor for the SnV zero-phonon line to be 37 and the coupling efficiency of the SnV center to the cavity, the β factor, to be 95%. Our work paves the way for the realization of quantum photonic devices and systems based on efficient photonic interfaces using the SnV color center in diamond.
The realization of efficient optical interfaces for solid-state atom-like systems is an important problem in quantum science with potential applications in quantum communications and quantum information processing. We describe and demonstrate a technique for coupling single nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers to suspended diamond photonic crystal cavities with quality factors up to 6000. Specifically, we present an enhancement of the NV center's zero-phonon line fluorescence by a factor of ~ 7 in low-temperature measurements.
A slab two-dimensional photonic crystal in diamond is being considered for quantum information processing. In view of the low refractive index of diamond, the question whether a high Q cavity is achievable has to be addressed. Here, various geometrical designs of single point defects and double heterostructures for the formation of high Q nanocavities in diamond are modeled. The highest value of vertical quality factor was achieved in double heterostructures. This result seems to be significant for further consideration of photonic crystals in diamond for quantum electrodynamics applications.