Jason Smith: Laser Writing of Defects in Diamond for Quantum Memory Chips

Laser Writing of Defects in Diamond for Quantum Memory Chips

Abstract: Colour centres in diamond are a leading platform for optically addressable quantum memories, offering coherent coupling to single photons and to nuclear spins for long-lived information storage. This talk will focus on the engineering of devices in which single, coherent colour centres can be written on-demand, and tuned in-situ, using femtosecond laser processing. The use of laser processing to write vacancies into diamond and to anneal the material with inline fluorescence feedback, provides both a high degree of localised process control and a new tool
for the study of the dynamics of defects during annealing. I will present data on nitrogen-vacancy and tin-vacancy centres which show very different behaviours and each provide exciting opportunities for scalable quantum memory devices.

Bio: Jason Smith is Professor of Photonic Materials and Devices at the University of Oxford where he is Deputy Head of the Department of Materials, and is Assistant Director of the UK Hub for Integrated Quantum Networks. His research focuses on the development of optically-addressed quantum memory devices based on colour centres in diamond and on chemical and nanoparticle sensing using optical microcavities. His most significant contributions have been his pioneering work on the use of laser processing to engineer single colour centres in diamond, and the development and applications of open microcavities fabricated using focused ion beam milling. Professor Smith is active in the commercialisation of research and has co-founded two companies (Oxford HighQ Ltd and Mode Labs Ltd) to date.