Integrating Fluorescent Nanodiamonds into Polymeric Microstructures Fabricated by Two-Photon Polymerization.

Area of Science:

• Quantum optics and photonics
• Materials science and engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are valuable non-photobleaching quantum emitters and sensors.
• Fabricating microstructures in bulk diamond is challenging, necessitating alternative integration methods.
• Embedding nanodiamonds with color centers offers a pathway to integrate quantum emitters into photonic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a method for incorporating fluorescent nanodiamonds into engineered microstructures.
• To optimize nanodiamond concentration in photoresist for desired structural and optical properties.
• To enable the fabrication of microstructures for photonics and quantum technology applications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized two-photon polymerization (2PP) for microfabrication.
• Incorporated fluorescent nanodiamonds into photoresist formulations.
• Employed fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy, and absorbance measurements for characterization.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated microstructures embedded with fluorescent nanodiamonds.
• Identified optimal nanodiamond concentrations for achieving fluorescent NV centers and good structural quality.
• Quantified scattering losses at higher nanodiamond concentrations using absorbance measurements.

Conclusions:

• The developed 2PP method is feasible for embedding nanodiamonds into microstructures.
• This technique facilitates the integration of quantum emitters for photonics and quantum technologies.
• The study provides a viable route for creating advanced quantum devices.