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Physicists develop photonic memory from diamond nanocavities
The picture shows a diamond ladder with photonic crystal structure. Such diamond-light storage devices may become an important component for quantum information processing of the future. (Picture by K. Streit)
Color centers in nanoresonators lead to highly efficient single photon emission
The Nano Structuring Center of TU Kaiserslautern (formerly Nano+Bio Center) has been instrumental for material preparation for a study that resulted in a recently published article in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Nanotechnology: J. Riedrich-Möller, L. Kipfstuhl, C. Hepp, E. Neu, C. Pauly, F. Mücklich, A. Baur, M. Wandt, S. Wolff, M. Fischer, S. Gsell, M. Schreck, C. Becher, One- and two-dimensional photonic crystal microcavities in single crystal diamond
Nature Nanotechnology 2011
Scientists around Christoph Becher from Saarland University have produced tiny photonic memories from single crystal diamond. These nanocavities lead to highly efficient single photon emission. Such nanoresonators are regarded essential for future implementation of color centers in quantum information processing. This field of research for signal transmission with single light bits promises absolute data safety.
The realization of the nanoresonators was an interdisciplinary cooperation of material scientist from Saarbrücken and physicist of the Universities of Augsburg, Freiburg and Kaiserslautern. Absolute data safety exists in the field of quantum information, the signal transmission with single light bits.
The diamond used by the scientist is artificially produced and has almost ideal properties with respect to purity and transparency. Initially, a 300 nm thin diamond membrane was prepared at the TU Nano Structuring Center for the fabrication of the nanocavities. A photonic crystal structure was used to make the diamond highly reflective and thus maximizing the photon emission rate. For this, the diamond membrane was perforated with 80 nm diameter nanoholes. The light bits emitted by the diamond atoms are stored in the middle of the hole structure by Bragg-reflection at the hole sidewalls.
The photons were generated with color centers – foreign atoms that are embedded in the diamond’s crystal lattice. In contrast to “real” atoms color centers are easier to handle. Neither vacuum equipment nor complicated cryo mechanisms are needed for the emission of light bits with desired properties.
Nanoresonators are regarded essential for future implementation of color centers in quantum information processing and for the emission and processing of light bits in a single chip. The fundamental principle developed by the physicists from Saarland University establishes the base for further experiments. The emission of the photons shall be controlled, their properties manipulated and the interaction of light bits from various distant color centers will be studied.
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