Electrical and optical control of single spins in a silicon carbide semiconductor device*

Defect spin qubits in silicon carbide (SiC) combine near-telecom operation and long coherence with a host crystal amenable to wafer scale semiconductor device engineering[1]. In particular, the neutral divacancy (VV⁰) in SiC has a spin-photon interface ideal for long distance quantum communications and repeater schemes[2]. Here, we isolate for the first time single VV⁰ defects in functioning, doped semiconductor p-i-n diodes and use the device to control the charge states of these defects[3]. This integration of the single spin into the semiconductor junction not only allows for a drastic reduction in spectral diffusion of the emitter, but also a careful study of the defect’s charge state under illumination. We focus on these photodynamics and demonstrate deterministic and optimized charge control of the defect, allowing for charge state stabilization and electrical gating of single photon emission. We discuss the outlook for electrical control, manipulation and readout of both the spin and charge degrees of freedom in these quantum emitters.

References:
[1] D. J. Christle et al., Nature Mat. 14, 160–163 (2015)
[2] D. J. Christle et al., PRX 7, 021046 (2017)
[3] C. P. Anderson* and A. Bourassa* et al., Science (2019) [arXiv:1906.08328]