Diamond
membrane devices containing optically coherent nitrogen-vacancy
(NV) centers are key to enable novel cryogenic experiments such as
optical ground-state cooling of hybrid spin-mechanical systems and
efficient entanglement distribution in quantum networks. Here, we
report on the fabrication of a (3.4 ± 0.2) μm thin, smooth
(surface roughness rq < 0.4 nm over
an area of 20 μm by 30 μm) diamond membrane containing
individually resolvable, narrow linewidth (< 100 MHz) NV centers.
We fabricate this sample via a combination of high-energy electron
irradiation, high-temperature annealing, and an optimized etching
sequence found via a systematic study of the diamond surface evolution
on the microscopic level in different etch chemistries. Although our
particular device dimensions are optimized for cavity-enhanced entanglement
generation between distant NV centers in open, tunable microcavities,
our results have implications for a broad range of quantum experiments
that require the combination of narrow optical transitions and micrometer-scale
device geometry.
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