Traceable localization enables accurate integration of quantum emitters and photonic structures with high yield

TL;DR

This paper establishes a traceable localization microscopy method with subnanometer accuracy, enabling precise integration of quantum emitters and photonic structures, crucial for advanced nanophotonics and quantum technologies.

Contribution

It introduces a metrological framework for localization microscopy traceability, including a master standard, calibration procedures, and correction of optical distortions, facilitating high-precision nanostructure assembly.

Findings

Achieved localization accuracy within +/- 1 nm over 68% coverage.

Validated calibration method using electron-beam lithography standards.

Demonstrated improved integration yield of quantum emitters and photonic structures.

Abstract

Traceability to the International System of Units (SI) is fundamental to measurement accuracy and reliability. In this study, we demonstrate subnanometer traceability of localization microscopy, establishing a metrological foundation for the maturation and application of super-resolution methods. To do so, we create a master standard by measuring the positions of submicrometer apertures in an array by traceable atomic-force microscopy. We perform correlative measurements of this master standard by optical microscopy, calibrating scale factor and correcting aberration effects. We introduce the concept of a localization uncertainty field due to optical localization errors and scale factor uncertainty, with regions of position traceability to within a 68 % coverage interval of +/- 1 nm. These results enable localization metrology with high throughput, which we apply to measure working standards that we fabricate by electron-beam lithography, validating the accuracy of mean pitch and closing the loop for disseminating and integrating reference arrays. We then apply our novel methods to calibrate an optical microscope with a sample cryostat, accounting for thermal contraction by use of a submicrometer pillar array in silicon as a reference material and elucidating complex distortion. This new calibration enables the accurate integration of quantum emitters and photonic structures with high yield, as we demonstrate theoretically through simulations of the dependence of the Purcell factor of radiative enhancement on registration errors across a wide field. Our study illuminates the challenges and opportunities of achieving traceable localization for comparison of position data across lithography and microscopy systems, from ambient to cryogenic temperatures.