High quality-factor optical nanocavities in bulk single-crystal diamond

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Optics
• Quantum Technology

Background:

• Single-crystal diamond possesses unique optical, mechanical, and thermal properties, making it suitable for classical and quantum optics.
• Limited scalable fabrication techniques hinder the widespread application of diamond photonics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop scalable fabrication techniques for high-quality single-crystal diamond optical devices.
• To enable advanced applications in diamond photonics.

Main Methods:

• Adapted angled-etching techniques for fabricating diamond nanomechanical resonators.
• Fabricated racetrack resonators and photonic crystal cavities in bulk single-crystal diamond.

Main Results:

• Achieved optical quality factors exceeding 10^5.
• Demonstrated device operation across visible and telecom wavelengths.
• Developed high-Q diamond optical nanocavities.

Conclusions:

• The new fabrication methods overcome limitations in diamond photonic device development.
• These diamond optical nanocavities pave the way for applications in nonlinear optics, chemical sensing, quantum information processing, and cavity optomechanics.