Efficient photon detection from color centers in a diamond optical waveguide
Abstract
A common limitation of experiments using color centers in diamond is the poor photon collection efficiency of microscope objectives due to refraction at the diamond interface. We present a simple and effective technique to detect a large fraction of photons emitted by color centers within a planar diamond sample by detecting light that is guided to the edges of the diamond via total internal reflection. We describe a prototype device using this "side-collection" technique, which provides a photon collection efficiency of approximately 47% and a photon detection efficiency of approximately 39%. We apply the enhanced signal-to-noise ratio gained from side-collection to AC magnetometry using ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers, and demonstrate an AC magnetic field sensitivity of 100 pT/\sqrt{Hz}, limited by added noise in the prototype side-collection device. Technical optimization should allow significant further improvements in photon collection and detection efficiency as well as sub-picotesla NV-diamond magnetic field sensitivity using the side-collection technique.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1201.0674,
title = {Efficient photon detection from color centers in a diamond optical waveguide},
author = {D. Le Sage and L. M. Pham and N. Bar-Gill and C. Belthangady and M. D. Lukin and A. Yacoby and R. L. Walsworth},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1201.0674},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
4 pages, 3 figures