A compact and simple photonic nano-antenna for efficient photon extraction from nitrogen vacancy centers in bulk diamond

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple, compact diamond nano-antenna that uses the Kerker effect to significantly improve photon extraction efficiency from nitrogen vacancy centers, with easier fabrication and better performance for quantum applications.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel, easy-to-fabricate cylindrical diamond nano-antenna utilizing the Kerker effect to enhance photon collection from NV centers.

Findings

Up to 15 times higher photon extraction efficiency.

Simple cylindrical design optimized for quantum applications.

Ease of fabrication compared to existing complex structures.

Abstract

Enhancing the collection efficiency of single emitters via dielectric antennas is a common approach in research dealing with solid-state quantum light sources. Current design concepts often suffer from a large footprint, quenching or a complex fabrication process. Here we report on another design where the Kerker effect is used to collimate emission from a nitrogen vacancy (NV) center. The structure discussed here is an easy to fabricate cylindrical protrusion made from diamond on top of a diamond substrate with NVs incorporated into its center. We optimize the structure with respect to application in quantum information processing and quantum sensing and find an up to 15 times higher photon extraction.