Fabrication of High Quality Quantum Emitters in Diamond Nanostructures*

As the field of solid-state quantum engineering matures, it is increasingly necessary to produce quantum emitters with narrow optical transitions and long spin coherence times aligned to nanophotonic structures. We demonstrate an emitter-device alignment technique enabling fabrication of photonic devices registered to nitrogen-vacancy centers (NVs). The alignment method relies on autonomously imaging emitters and registering them relative to an on-chip coordinate system. This technique can be performed on a large variety of emitters. The repeatability of this method suggests an accuracy down to 50 nm.

The ability to navigate a sample autonomously while collecting data on a large number of NVs enables statistical analyses. We demonstrate the utility of this by correlating the NV’s host nitrogen isotope with the optical linewidth of the emitter to understand the effect of implantation. This technique has implications for investigating the effect on NVs as they go through fabrication processes to understand how the local environment may change.