3D Printed Optical Waveguide Structures with Microdiamonds containing NV Centers

Peters, Marina; Abazi, Adrian; Wendland, Daniel; Buskasper, Tim; Lindloge, Lara; Gregor, Markus; Schuck, Carsten

Abstract

Quantum technology holds great potential for novel communication, computation and sensing concepts, however, current approaches do not easily scale to large system size. Integrated photonics offers possibilities to address such scaling challenges by leveraging modern nanofabrication processes for implementing complex nanophotonic circuitry. Here we show how nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond, as a prototypical quantum system, can be embedded into optical waveguides that allow for optical excitation and fluorescence collection. We achieve this by employing a lithographic positioning technique for microdiamonds on a silicon chip, which are subsequently integrated into polymer waveguides, produced in 3D direct laser writing. Our method allows for producing hundreds of devices with waveguide-integrated quantum systems on a chip, which can be addressed and read out via optical fiber arrays.