A central aim of quantum information processing is the efficient entanglement of multiple stationary quantum memories via photons. Among solid-state systems, the nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond has emerged as an excellent optically addressable memory with second-scale electron spin coherence times. Recently, quantum entanglement and teleportation have been shown between two nitrogen-vacancy memories, but scaling to larger networks requires more efficient spin-photon interfaces such as optical resonators. Here we report such nitrogen-vacancy-nanocavity systems in the strong Purcell regime with optical quality factors approaching 10,000 and electron spin coherence times exceeding 200 μs using a silicon hard-mask fabrication process. This spin-photon interface is integrated with on-chip microwave striplines for coherent spin control, providing an efficient quantum memory for quantum networks. Nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond have established themselves as excellent candidates for solid-state quantum memories due to their optical addressability and long coherence times. Here, the authors report on a diamond-nanocavity system with improved spin-photon interface performances.
The realization of quantum networks critically depends on establishing efficient, coherent light-matter interfaces. Optically active spins in diamond have emerged as promising quantum nodes based on their spin-selective optical transitions, long-lived spin ground states, and potential for integration with nanophotonics. Tin-vacancy (SnV
-) centers in diamond are of particular interest because they exhibit narrow-linewidth emission in nanostructures and possess long spin coherence times at temperatures above 1 K. However, a nanophotonic interface for SnV
- centers has not yet been realized. Here, we report cavity enhancement of the emission of SnV
- centers in diamond. We integrate SnV
- centers into one-dimensional photonic crystal resonators and observe a 40-fold increase in emission intensity. The Purcell factor of the coupled system is 25, resulting in channeling of the majority of photons (
90%) into the cavity mode. Our results pave the way for the creation of efficient, scalable spin-photon interfaces based on SnV
- centers in diamond.
An efficient spin–photon interface plays a significant role in building quantum network and distributed quantum computing with solid-state spin system, e.g., nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond. Solid-state spin system has the advantages of excellent portability and long coherence time, however, it suffers from a critical drawback of low efficiency of spontaneously emitted photons in the zero phonon line. This poses a severe challenge for the generation of an efficient interface between solid-state spin and photon. Here, we propose a method to establish a coherent interface between photon and solid-state spin system which is coupled to a trapped ion via a quantum transducer. Our method provides a new route to establish an efficient spin–photon interface allowing the generation of entanglement between distant spins.