Nanophotonics (Nov 2020)

Adjoint-optimized nanoscale light extractor for nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond

  • Wambold Raymond A.,
  • Yu Zhaoning,
  • Xiao Yuzhe,
  • Bachman Benjamin,
  • Jaffe Gabriel,
  • Kolkowitz Shimon,
  • Choy Jennifer T.,
  • Eriksson Mark A.,
  • Hamers Robert J.,
  • Kats Mikhail A.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2020-0387
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 1
pp. 393 – 401

Abstract

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We designed a nanoscale light extractor (NLE) for the efficient outcoupling and beaming of broadband light emitted by shallow, negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in bulk diamond. The NLE consists of a patterned silicon layer on diamond and requires no etching of the diamond surface. Our design process is based on adjoint optimization using broadband time-domain simulations and yields structures that are inherently robust to positioning and fabrication errors. Our NLE functions like a transmission antenna for the NV center, enhancing the optical power extracted from an NV center positioned 10 nm below the diamond surface by a factor of more than 35, and beaming the light into a ±30° cone in the far field. This approach to light extraction can be readily adapted to other solid-state color centers.

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