title: Diamond nanocrystals hosting single nitrogen-vacancy color centers sorted by photon-correlation near-field microscopy.
abstract: Diamond nanocrystals containing highly photoluminescent color centers are attractive, nonclassical, and near-field light sources. For near-field applications, the size of the nanocrystal is crucial, since it defines the optical resolution. Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers are efficiently created by proton irradiation and annealing of a nanodiamond powder. Using near-field microscopy and photon statistics measurements, we show that nanodiamonds with sizes down to 25 nm can hold a single NV color center with bright and stable photoluminescence.
authors.affiliation: Institut Néel, CNRS and Université Joseph Fourier, BP166, 38042 Grenoble Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Yannick
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sonnefraud
authors.forename: Aurélien
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cuche
authors.forename: Orestis
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Faklaris
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Boudou
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sauvage
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Roch
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Treussart
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huant
mesh_terms: D003460:Crystallization; D004867:Equipment Design; D008422:Materials Testing; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D015336:Molecular Probe Techniques; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D049329:Nanostructures; D036103:Nanotechnology; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D010316:Particle Size; D017785:Photons; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D009584:Nitrogen