Fiber-tip endoscope for optical and microwave control

TL;DR

This paper introduces a fiber-based endoscope with integrated optical and microwave capabilities, enabling precise, minimally invasive measurements of fluorescent samples like NV centers in diamond through a compact, robust design.

Contribution

The novel fiber-tip endoscope integrates a silver DLW structure for RF emission with optical fibers, allowing simultaneous optical and microwave probing with minimal sample distance and high sensitivity.

Findings

Achieved magnetic sensitivity of 17.8 nT/√Hz using the fiber endoscope.

Demonstrated ODMR measurements of NV centers through the fiber.

Showcased potential for precise distance measurements via Rabi oscillations.

Abstract

We present a robust, fiber based endoscope with a silver direct-laser-written (DLW) structure for radio frequency (RF) emission next to the optical fiber facet. Thereby, we are able to excite and probe a sample, such as nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, with RF and optical signals simultaneously and specifically measure the fluorescence of the sample fully through the fiber. At our targeted frequency-range around 2.9 GHz the facet of the fiber-core is in the near-field of the RF-guiding silver-structure, which comes with the advantage of an optimal RF-intensity decreasing rapidly with the distance. By creating a silver structure on the cladding of the optical fiber we achieve the minimal possible distance between an optically excited and detected sample and an antenna structure without affecting the optical performance of the fiber. This allows us realizing a high RF-amplitude at the sample's position when considering an endoscope solution with integrated optical and RF access. The capabilities of the endoscope are quantified by optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) measurements of a NV-doped microdiamond that we probe as a practical use case. We demonstrate a magnetic sensitivity of our device of 17.8 nT/$\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ per when measuring the ODMR exclusively through our fiber and compare the sensitivity to a measurement using a confocal microscope. Moreover, such an endoscope could be used as a powerful tool for measuring a variety of fluorescent particles that can otherwise only be measured with bulky and large optical setups. Furthermore, our endoscope points toward precise distance measurements based on Rabi oscillations.