Project R-15844

Diamond platform for Quantum technologies (Research)

Synthetic diamond is a unique host for functional qubits represented by optically active spin defects, which find applications in quantum sensing, quantum metrology, quantum computing, and quantum communication. Diamond is a platform that can shape the future quantum industry, which is why it attracts attention not only by academia but also by industry. And yet, the diamond material still has to be improved and tailored for photonic needs. Only high-quality growth allows achieving outstanding properties for optically active spin defects. The requested infrastructure will be used to secure the place of UHasselt among key players in the quantum technology race and to attract industrial partners. The funding will be spent on improving the quality of the diamond material and property assessment of the incorporated defects, ranging from the well-established nitrogen-vacancy center to novel group-IV defects, which will be central for the realization of fundamentally secure quantum telecommunication lines. The funding will enable the purchase of components for a new chemical vapor deposition growth reactor (to produce ultra-pure diamonds), a single-frequency tunable laser equipped with a wavelength meter (for addressing individual color centers for selective manipulation), and a microwave arbitrary waveform generator (together with the laser, enables sophisticated control of spins to explore the limits of the coherent spin properties and quality of the diamond host material).

01 July 2025 - 30 June 2029