Impressions from the Integrated Quantum Photonics Group laboratory: a diamond sample in a cavity.
To transfer our structure onto the lacquer, we use a focused electron beam. The lacquer is weakened where the beam hits and can then be removed with a solvent. This allows us to draw any pattern we want in the lacquer. The result is a mask directly on the diamond that now depicts a top view of the sawfish cavity. This mask selectively protects the diamond when we place it in a plasma furnace, where the unmasked surface is burned in a controlled manner. We have now transferred our Sawfish structure to the diamond, followed by a couple of plasma etching and coating steps to separate the structure from the diamond substrate. The finished structure ultimately overhangs like a bridge.
How do these tiny structures help to store or send quantum information?
The quantum systems we are interested in exist in diamonds: the so-called color centers. These are specific arrangements of atoms that allow us to store and manipulate quantum information.