Controlling the diamond surface to realize a novel platform for quantum technologies

Engineering solid-state hosts for atomic-scale spin ensembles with controllable polarization, density, and dimensionality is an important challenge to deployment of quantum technologies in an environmentally robust, device-integrated manner. The nitrogen vacancy (NV) center is an optically addressable spin qubit in diamond with demonstrated sensing prowess. However, the utility of this qubit when interfaced with external systems is hampered by proximity to an uncontrolled diamond surface that is a deleterious source of charge traps, decoherence, and adverse light-driven surface chemistry. Here, we detail efforts to stabilize this near-surface environment of NV centers and leverage the surface as a novel platform for interfacing and controlling atomic and electronic spin systems. In an ultra-high vacuum environment, we combine surface preparation tools with concurrent NV measurements to investigate in situ procedures that adapt the surface for introduction of candidate spin systems. These methods present a flexible NV-based spin "interface" where dark spins of tunable density, species, dimensionality, and close proximity to sensing targets may be deployed in tandem with NV-based optical state preparation and measurement for quantum sensing and simulation applications.