  Quantifying the variation in emission properties of fluorescent nanodiamonds
is important for developing their wide-ranging applicability. Directed
self-assembly techniques show promise for positioning nanodiamonds precisely
enabling such quantification. Here we show an approach for depositing
nanodiamonds in pre-determined arrays which are used to gather statistical
information about fluorescent lifetimes. The arrays were created via a layer of
photoresist patterned with grids of apertures using electron beam lithography
and then drop-cast with nanodiamonds. Electron microscopy revealed a 90%
average deposition yield across 3,376 populated array sites, with an average of
20 nanodiamonds per site. Confocal microscopy, optimised for nitrogen vacancy
fluorescence collection, revealed a broad distribution of fluorescent lifetimes
in agreement with literature. This method for statistically quantifying
fluorescent nanoparticles provides a step towards fabrication of hybrid
photonic devices for applications from quantum cryptography to sensing.
