English

Laser-cut Patterned, Micrometer-thin Diamond Membranes with Coherent Color Centers for Open Microcavities

Quantum Physics 2025-09-11 v1 Optics

Abstract

Micrometer-scale thin diamond devices are key components for various quantum sensing and networking experiments, including the integration of color centers into optical microcavities. In this work, we introduce a laser-cutting method for patterning microdevices from millimeter-sized diamond membranes. The method can be used to fabricate devices with micrometer thicknesses and edge lengths of typically 10 μm\mu m to 100 μm\mu m. We compare this method with an established nanofabrication process based on electron-beam lithography, a two-step transfer pattern utilizing a silicon nitride hard mask material, and reactive ion etching. Microdevices fabricated using both methods are bonded to a cavity Bragg mirror and characterized using scanning cavity microscopy. We record two-dimensional cavity finesse maps over the devices, revealing insights about the variation in diamond thickness, surface quality, and strain. The scans demonstrate that devices fabricated by laser-cutting exhibit similar properties to devices obtained by the conventional method. Finally, we show that the devices host optically coherent Tin- and Nitrogen-Vacancy centers suitable for applications in quantum networking.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2506.20713,
  title  = {Laser-cut Patterned, Micrometer-thin Diamond Membranes with Coherent Color Centers for Open Microcavities},
  author = {Yanik Herrmann and Julia M. Brevoord and Julius Fischer and Stijn Scheijen and Colin Sauerzapf and Nina Codreanu and Leonardo G. C. Wienhoven and Yuran M. Q. van der Graaf and Cornelis F. J. Wolfs and Régis Méjard and Maximilian Ruf and Nick de Jong and Ronald Hanson},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.20713},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

31 pages, 13 figures