7 - Using defect centres in diamonds to build photonic and quantum optical devices

Abstract

In this chapter, we introduce defect centres in diamond nanocrystals as building blocks of fundamental photonic and quantum optical devices. We first present the motivation for these devices and introduce the optical properties of nanodiamond. We then describe some approaches to establishing enhanced light–matter interaction on the nanoscale and introduce a method for controlled assembly. Integrated nanophotonic and nanoplasmonic elements are the topic of the next section, and we then present two applications of a fundamental light source based on nanodiamonds. We conclude the chapter with the future prospects for nanodiamond research.