Homogeneous Free-Standing Nanostructures from Bulk Diamond over Millimeter Scales for Quantum Technologies

Quantum devices based on optically addressable spin qubits in diamond are promising platforms for quantum technologies such as quantum sensing and communication. Nano- and microstructuring of the diamond crystal is essential to enhance device performance, yet fabrication remains challenging and often involves trade-offs in surface quality, aspect ratio, device size, and uniformity. We tackle this hurdle with an approach producing millimeter-scale, thin (down to 70 nm), and highly parallel (< 0.35 nm/μm) membranes from single-crystal diamond. The membranes remain contamination free and possess atomically smooth surfaces (Rq < 200 pm) as required by state-of-the-art quantum applications. We demonstrate the benefits and versatility of our method by fabricating large fields of free-standing and homogeneous photonic nano- and microstructures. Leveraging a refined photolithography-based strategy, our method offers enhanced scalability and produces robust structures suitable for direct use, while remaining compatible with heterogeneous integration through pick-and-place transfer techniques.