title: A compact, diode laser based excitation system for microscopy of NV centers.
abstract: We demonstrate that a recently introduced family of direct-emitting green laser diodes is a simple yet efficient light source for excitation of NV centers in diamond. Thanks to their fast (sub-ns) response time, these sources are suitable for a broad variety of measurements, including pulsed optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) and fluorescence lifetime imaging. This feature, together with a drastically simplified design, is a significant advantage over the traditional excitation system comprising an Nd: YAG laser switched by an acousto-optic modulator. We introduce a simple design for such a compact laser system and experimentally verify that it enables simultaneous lifetime and ODMR measurements on NV centers. In particular, we find that the NV(-) charge state remains stable in spite of the short excitation wavelength of the new source.
authors.affiliation: 3. Physikalisches Institut and Research Center SCoPE, Universität Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Oeckinghaus
authors.affiliation: 3. Physikalisches Institut and Research Center SCoPE, Universität Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stöhr
authors.affiliation: 3. Physikalisches Institut and Research Center SCoPE, Universität Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kolesov
authors.affiliation: 3. Physikalisches Institut and Research Center SCoPE, Universität Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tisler
authors.affiliation: 3. Physikalisches Institut and Research Center SCoPE, Universität Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Friedemann
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Reinhard
authors.affiliation: 3. Physikalisches Institut and Research Center SCoPE, Universität Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wrachtrup