Laser activation of single group-IV colour centres in diamond
Spin-photon interfaces based on group-IV colour centres in diamond offer a promising platform for quantum networks. A key challenge in the field is realising precise single-defect positioning and activation, which is crucial for scalable device fabrication. Here we address this problem by demonstrating a two-step fabrication method for tin vacancy (SnV<sup>-</sup>) centres that uses site-controlled ion implantation followed by local femtosecond laser annealing with in-situ spectral monitoring. The ion implantation is performed with sub-50 nm resolution and a dosage that is controlled from hundreds of ions down to single ions per site, limited by Poissonian statistics. Using this approach, we successfully demonstrate site-selective creation and modification of single SnV<sup>-</sup> centres. Our in-situ spectral monitoring opens a window onto materials tuning at the single defect level, and provides new insight into defect structures and dynamics during the annealing process. While demonstrated for SnV<sup>-</sup> centres, this versatile approach can be readily generalised to other implanted colour centres in diamond and wide-bandgap materials.
Authors
- Osman Balcı (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2766-2197)
- Xingrui Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0699-2317)
- Gareth J. F. Jones (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2923-8365)
- Jason M. Smith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4572-0867)
- Patrick S. Salter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1688-259X)
- Mete Atatüre (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3852-0944)
- Cathryn P. Michaels (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8441-9068)
- Maddison Coke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2572-1459)
- Andrea C. Ferrari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0907-9993)
- Dorian A. Gangloff (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7100-0847)
- Richard J. Curry (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8859-5210)
- Joel A. Bennett
- Andreas Thurn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7149-4966)
- Mason Adshead (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6828-3797)
- Guangzhao Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8143-8028)
Institutions
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (US)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- University of Manchester (GB)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Science Oxford (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-06-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60373-5
- Citations
- 13
- Primary Topic
- Diamond and Carbon-based Materials Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 6.73
Funders
- Henry Royce Institute
- Element Six
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council