The development of diamond-based quantum optical devices has advanced significantly with the report of implanted nitrogen–vacancy centres in diamond possessing excellent optical coherence properties. Y. Chu and co-workers from the USA, Switzerland and the UK describe how, by employing a combination of ion implantation, high-temperature annealing and surface treatment, they could realize nitrogen–vacancy centres with lifetime-limited optical linewidths. The researchers comment that they managed to suppress spectral diffusion by using annealing and surface treatment to create a diamond environment that is nearly free from defects, which contribute to charge fluctuations. Linewidths as narrow as a few hundred megahertz were measured in a diamond sample with a nitrogen dose of 1011 cm−2 and an estimated doping depth of 10 nm. The ability to place nitrogen–vacancy centres with high-quality optical properties in a well-defined layer bodes well for the development of devices based on this approach.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Graydon, O. Implantation innovation. Nature Photon 8, 350 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2014.98
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2014.98