Systematic investigation of sulphur doping for enhanced NV-centre yield using a single ion implanter (Master thesis)
Contact: Dr. Paul Räcke
Laserannealing in diamond (Bachelor/Master thesis)
Focused laser beams can be used to generate high temperatures in a highly localized volume. This can be used to create color centers in wide bandgap materials. The experiments will be performed on diamond samples. In addition to ion implantation and femto-second lasers, measurements at a confocal microscope will be performed. The focus of the topic can be set in such a way that it is suitable for both a bachelor thesis and a master thesis.
Contact: Dr. Ralf Wunderlich
Graphene on diamond (Bachelor/Master thesis)
The aim of this work is to combine two promising materials in many respects: Graphene and diamond. In order to take advantage of both allotropes of carbon the student will fabricate structured graphene layers on a diamond surface. This can be achieved by different approaches. These include a direct deposition of graphene on the diamond as well as the use of a catalyst. Afterwards, the layer quality will be verified by the measurement with a micro Raman confocal setup. The results will be used to determine the optimal parameter of the fabrication process.
Contact: Dr. Ralf Wunderlich
Nuclear hyperpolarization in diamond (Master thesis)
The nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond is a defect with promising properties for quantum information processing, recently leading to many breakthroughs in this research field.
All applications of the NV center rely on the ease of electronic polarization by illumination at room temperature.
In this thesis, the swap of the NV polarization to nearby nuclear 13-C spin will be investigated in more detail.
To address this issue, diamond samples with different defect densities will be created by irradiation with high energetic electrons. Subsequently, the effect of different defect distances on the polarization transfer shall be studied.
References:
R. Wunderlich et al. J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 30, 305803:1-6 (2018); DOI: 10.1088/1361-648X/aacc32.
R. Wunderlich et al. Phys. Rev. B 96, 220407(R):1-5 (2017); DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.96.220407.
Contact: Dr. Ralf Wunderlich
Nuclear hyperpolarization in silicon carbide (Master thesis)
Besides the nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, vacancy related defects in silicon carbide (SiC) represent an alternative for a hyperpolarization source in a solid.
Objective of this thesis is the modification of SiC leading to a sufficient defect density for bulk nuclear hyperpolarization, detectable by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).
Reference:
A.L. Falk et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 247603:1-6 (2015); DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.247603.
Contact: Dr. Ralf Wunderlich
Production of microwave resonance structures on diamond (Master thesis)
By means of ion beams or vapor deposition, antenna structures can be deposited in or on diamond. The microwaves generated in this way can then be read with NV centers. In this way, novel microwave receivers or radar systems can be built. The student's task is to plan and construct microwave receivers using NV centres in diamond.
Reference:
M. Chipaux et al. Appl. Phys. Lett. 107, 233502:1-5 (2015); DOI: 10.1063/1.4936758.
Contact: Prof.Dr. Jan Meijer
Production of a current reference by means of colour centres in diamond (Master thesis)
Current standards are indispensable in safety systems such as airbags, measuring units or medical applications. These current standards generate a reference current which is compared with a sensor signal, e.g. to trigger the airbag. The constancy of the current reference is therefore vital in the truest sense of the word. So far, these current standards have been produced using silicon components. In silicon, however, metals can diffuse, making the components unusable. In diamond no substances diffuse, through NV centers it is possible to use quantum mechanical effects, which depend only on natural constants and therefore cannot be changed in time. The aim is to build a functioning component for a current reference source and to measure its stability (temperature etc.).
Contact: Prof.Dr. Jan Meijer
Temperature measurement using colour centres in nanodiamonds (Master thesis)
The temperature distribution within a cell is still unknown and difficult to measure. To insert a probe into the cell, the sensitive cell membrane has to be disturbed. This leads to undesired side effects. It is also possible to measure only one point at a time and chemical reactions can be disturbed by the probe. Nanodiamonds are biocompatible, membrane-compatible and do not interfere with the cell, as many experiments have shown. The aim of this work is to use the line shift of colour centres to determine the temperature dependence. First, diamond plates with different color centers are investigated. Promising centers are then introduced into nanodiamonds.
Contact: Prof.Dr. Jan Meijer
Stress measurement in diamond based on colour centres
Colour centres in diamond (like the NV and SiV centres) promise new applications and technology for quantum information processing or quantum sensing. Stress-free diamonds and colour centres are necessary for reproducibility and scalability issues. In this work, colour centres will be locally implanted in diamond areas showing stress gradient, as revealed by birefringence measurements. The strain will be determined by optical spectroscopy of the implanted colour centres. Then, its effect on the formation and properties of different colour centres will be studied.
Contact: Dr. Tobias Lühmann; Dr. Sébastien Pezzagna
Photocurrent-based study of defects in diamond
Colour centres in diamond promise new applications and technology for quantum information processing or quantum sensing. Optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) is at the heart of high-resolution high-sensitivity magnetic sensing. The implementation of electric readout of spin and charge states of single defects would allow a miniaturisation and large scale use of the devices. In this work, the photocurrents induced by ionisation of different colour centres and dopants in diamond will be studied, with the aim of building efficient Photocurrent-DMR (instead of Optically-DMR) protocols with single centre sensitivity.
Contact: Sascha Becker, M.Sc.; Dr. Sébastien Pezzagna
Hybrid quantum system in diamond (Master thesis)
Colour centres in diamond are at the heart of the development of the field of quantum sensing and also hold the promise for a room-temperature quantum computer. Apart from the well-known nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre, a defect named ST1 centre, was recently discovered and identified, with unique optical and spin properties. The aim of the work is to create and study a new hybrid coupled system consisting of a single NV and a single ST1 centre, and to investigate quantum gate operations at room temperature.
Contact: Dr. Sébastien Pezzagna, Dr. Séverine Diziain
Fermi level tuning applied to the “new” ST1 defect centre in diamond (Master thesis)
The recently discovered ST1 defect centre in diamond possesses unique optical, electronic and spin properties. The ST1 electronic spin is coherently controllable at room temperature, which make it a promising quantum system. However, very little is known about its structure and charge state configuration and stability for practical applications. The aim of this work is to experimentally investigate the charge states of the ST1 centre by actively tuning the Fermi level position. In this purpose, a p-i-n junction will be prepared in diamond and single ST1 centres will be created within the intrinsic gap.
Contact: Dr. Sébastien Pezzagna, Dr. Tobias Lühmann
Identification of a new defect in diamond through hyperfine coupling (Bachelor/Master thesis)
The recently discovered ST1 defect centre in diamond possesses unique optical, electronic and spin properties. The ST1 electronic spin is coherently controllable at room temperature, which make it a promising quantum system. However, very little is known about its constituents and structure. The aim of this work is to create ST1 centres containing the 17O isotope (spin 5/2) and to investigate their optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) and hyperfine interactions using a confocal fluorescence microscope. New quantum schemes might be conceived out of this promising defect centre.
Contact: Dr. Sébastien Pezzagna, Dr. Séverine Diziain, Dr. Tobias Lühmann