Nitrogen vacancy center in cubic silicon carbide : a promising qubit in the 1.5μm spectral range for photonic quantum networks

• Main Authors: Zargaleh, Soroush Abbasi, Hameau, S., Eble, B., Margaillan, F., von Bardeleben, H. J., Cantin, J. L., Gao, Weibo
• Other Authors: School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Photonic Quantum Networks; Nitrogen Vacancy Center; DRNTU::Science::Physics
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/105497; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/47407
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

We have investigated the optical properties of the (NV)− center in 3C-SiC to determine the photoluminscence zero phonon line (ZPL) associated with the 3E→3A2 intracenter transition. Combining electron paramagnetic resonance and photoluminescence spectroscopy, we show that the NV−center in 3C-SiC has a ZPL line at 1.468 μm in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions. The ZPL line can be observed up to T=100 K. The negatively charged NV center in 3C-SiC is the structural isomorphe of the NV center in diamond and has equally a spin S=1 ground state and a spin S=1 excited state, long spin lattice relaxation times and presents optically induced groudstate spin polarization. These properties make it already a strong competitor to the NV center in diamond, but as its optical domain is shifted in the near infrared at 1.5μm, the NV center in 3C-SiC is compatible with quantum photonic networks and silicon based microelectronics.