Mikhail Kats, Jack St. Clair Kilby Professor and Antoine-Bascom Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering; Jennifer Choy, assistant professor of electrical & computer engineering; and graduate student Minjeong Kim have developed a simple, low-cost structure that boosts light output from solid-state quantum materials like diamond without damaging their surface, a common issue with current light-extraction methods that reduces performance. The patterned silicon design could improve efficiency in next-gen technologies like quantum sensors, communication systems and computers.