Shallow Silicon Vacancy Centers with lifetime-limited optical linewidths in Diamond Nanostructures

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a scalable method to create near-surface silicon vacancy centers in diamond with lifetime-limited optical linewidths, enabling advanced quantum sensing and coherent control in nanostructures.

Contribution

It introduces a simple, persistent optical charge-stabilization technique to produce optically coherent SiV$^-$ centers in diamond nanopillars at shallow depths.

Findings

Achieved lifetime-limited optical linewidths in near-surface SiV$^-$ centers.

Developed a charge-stabilization scheme using 445nm laser illumination.

Enabled continuous photoluminescence spectroscopy without additional stabilization.

Abstract

The negatively charged silicon vacancy center (SiV$^-$) in diamond is a promising, yet underexplored candidate for single-spin quantum sensing at sub-kelvin temperatures and tesla-range magnetic fields. A key ingredient for such applications is the ability to perform all-optical, coherent addressing of the electronic spin of near-surface SiV$^-$ centers. We present a robust and scalable approach for creating individual, $\sim$50nm deep SiV$^-$ with lifetime-limited optical linewidths in diamond nanopillars through an easy-to-realize and persistent optical charge-stabilization scheme. The latter is based on single, prolonged 445nm laser illumination that enables continuous photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy, without the need for any further charge stabilization or repumping. Our results constitute a key step towards the use of near-surface, optically coherent SiV$^-$ for sensing under extreme conditions, and offer a powerful approach for stabilizing the charge-environment of diamond color centers for quantum technology applications.