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Optical Integration of single NV-centers for Quantum Computing and Sensing

Lucas Kirchbach, Andreas Giese, Julian Staniewski, Manuel Riedmann, Robert Bruss, Bernd Braun, Andreas Stute

Published Mar 5, 2026• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Single Nitrogen-Vacancy centers (NV-centers) in diamond can be operated at ambient conditions as qubits in quantum memories and nanoscale quantum sensors. At TH Nürnberg, we plan to deterministically generate single NV-centers via femtosecond-laser pulses and integrate them into photonic platforms via 3D-printed microoptics and fs-written waveguides. This presentation gives a summary about our activites: The design and analysis of micro-lens systems to be manufactured via Two-Photon Polymerization on top of individual, self-written NV-centers for increased photon-collection efficiency, the programming of a spatial light modulator for wavefront optimization, the setup of a confocal scanning fluorescence microscope that addresses individual NV-Centers and laser material processing that allows to shape the diamond surface and to fabricate waveguides in the diamond for efficient optical coupling.

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Single Nitrogen-Vacancy centers (NV-centers) in diamond can be operated at ambient conditions as qubits in quantum memories and nanoscale quantum sensors. At TH Nürnberg, we plan to deterministically generate single NV-centers via femtosecond-laser pulses and integrate them into photonic platforms via 3D-printed microoptics and fs-written waveguides. This presentation gives a summary about our activites: The design and analysis of micro-lens systems to be manufactured via Two-Photon Polymerization on top of individual, self-written NV-centers for increased photon-collection efficiency, the programming of a spatial light modulator for wavefront optimization, the setup of a confocal scanning fluorescence microscope that addresses individual NV-Centers and laser material processing that allows to shape the diamond surface and to fabricate waveguides in the diamond for efficient optical coupling.
Diamond’s nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center has been shown as a promising candidate for sensing applications and quantum computing because of its long electron spin coherence time and its ability to be found, manipulated and read out optically. An integrated photonics platform in diamond would be useful for NV-based magnetometry and quantum computing, in which NV centers are optically linked for long-range quantum entanglement due to the integration and stability provided by monolithic optical waveguides. Surface microchannels in diamond would be a great benefit for sensing applications, where NV centers could be used to probe biomolecules. In this work, we applied femtosecond laser writing to form buried 3D optical waveguides in diamond. By engineering the geometry of the type II waveguide, we obtained single mode guiding from visible to the infrared wavelengths. Further, we demonstrate the first Bragg waveguide in bulk diamond with narrowband reflection. We show the formation of single, high quality NV centers on demand in ultrapure diamond using a single pulse from a femtosecond laser. With these building blocks in place, we fabricated an integrated quantum photonic circuit containing optical waveguides coupled to NV centers deterministically placed within the waveguide. The single NVs were excited and their emission collected by the optical waveguides, allowing easy interfacing to standard optical fibers. We also report high aspect ratio surface microchannels, which we will integrate with laser-written NVs and waveguides, paving the way for ultrasensitive, nanoscale resolution biosensors.
Efficient collection of fluorescence light is essential for all optically adressable qubit platforms. For the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond, the high refractive index of the host medium poses a major challenge as it limits the solid angle under which fluorescence light can leave the crystal. To enhance collection efficiency from single NV centers, we design and simulate micro-optical elements that shall be directly fabricated on the diamond surface using two-photon polymerization. Several optical designs and photoresists are evaluated for their expected coupling efficiency into single-mode fibers and their tolerance to fabrication errors. Additionally, an analytical solution for single lens collimation of the emission of a point source in diamond at a specific wavelength is presented, as well as considerations regarding the degradation of wavefront quality in multi-wavelength Fresnel designs.
Diamond's nitrogen vacancy (NV) center is an optically active defect with long spin coherence times, showing great potential for both efficient nanoscale magnetometry and quantum information processing schemes. Recently, both the formation of buried 3D optical waveguides and high-quality single NVs in diamond were demonstrated using the versatile femtosecond laser-writing technique. However, until now, combining these technologies has been an outstanding challenge. In this Letter, we fabricate laser-written photonic waveguides in quantum grade diamond which are aligned to within micron resolution to single laser-written NVs, enabling an integrated platform providing deterministically positioned waveguide-coupled NVs. This fabrication technology opens the way toward on-chip optical routing of single photons between NVs and optically integrated spin-based 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.
Diamond's nitrogen vacancy (NV) center is an optically active defect with long spin coherence times, showing potential for efficient nanoscale magnetometry and entanglement schemes. Recently, both the formation of buried 3D optical waveguides and high quality single NVs in diamond were demonstrated using femtosecond laser-writing. However, until now, combining these technologies has been an outstanding challenge. In this work, we fabricate laser-written photonic circuits in diamond aligned within micron resolution to single laser-written NVs, enabling an integrated platform providing deterministically positioned waveguide-coupled NVs. This fabrication technology opens the way towards on-chip optical routing of single photons between NVs and optically integrated spin-based magnetometry.
Direct integration of single photon emitters into easy-to-fabricate functional microstructures is a major step towards a future quantum optical technology. Because of its photostability and versatile spin properties the nitrogen vacancy center (NV center) in diamond is one of the most promising candidates as source of single photons [1]. One of its drawbacks lies in the properties of its host crystal. Diamond is hard to process and therefore it is difficult to manufacture complex integrated structures in a reliable way. One way to avoid these difficulties is to use nanodiamonds in a so called hybrid approach [2]. Hybrid systems comprise different constituents from different materials. By exploiting the individual advantages of the individual elements it is possible to build systems with properties exceeding the properties of the individual subsystems.