Femtosecond laser writing of vacancies into diamond can be used to produce optically coherentNV−color centers at desired locations. The submicrometer positioning accuracy achieved is sufficient for placing NV−centers in optical structures such as multimode waveguides and whispering gallery resonators or under solid immersion lenses. The demonstrated accuracy is limited by the diffusion of the vacancies during annealing, and further improvements may be achieved using a higher nitrogen concentration in the starting material and an adjusted annealing recipe. In particular, high-precision depth positioning may be achieved by combining laser writing of vacancies with delta doping of a thin layer of nitrogen-rich material during growth. The adaptive optics used for aberration correction would also allow color centers to be positioned under microstructured surfaces. Beyond quantum photonic devices, the ability to write large and detailed 2D or 3D arrays of NV−defects may find application in magnetic field imaging systems. The laser writing technique demonstrated here for NV centers could be readily applied in conjunction with the writing of subsurface waveguides and electrodes, and can be adapted for the generation of other color centers and point defects in other wide bandgap materials.