Nuclear spins with hyperfine coupling to single electron spins are highly valuable quantum bits. Here we probe and characterize the particularly rich nuclear-spin environment around single silicon vacancy color centers (V2) in 4H-SiC. By using the electron spin-3/2 qudit as a four level sensor, we identify several sets of Si29 and C13 nuclear spins through their hyperfine interaction. We extract the major components of their hyperfine coupling via optical detected nuclear magnetic resonance, and assign them to shells in the crystal via the density function theory simulations. We utilize the ground-state level anticrossing of the electron spin for dynamic nuclear polarization and achieve a nuclear-spin polarization of up to 98±6%. We show that this scheme can be used to detect the nuclear magnetic resonance signal of individual spins and demonstrate their coherent control. Our work provides a detailed set of parameters and first steps for future use of SiC as a multiqubit memory and quantum computing platform.

Spin-active color centers in solids show good performance for quantum technologies. Several transition-metal defects in SiC offer compatibility with telecom and semiconductor industries. However, whether their strong spin-orbit coupling degrades their spin lifetimes is not clear. We show that a combination of a crystal-field with axial symmetry and spin-orbit coupling leads to a suppression of spin-lattice and spin-spin interactions, resulting in remarkably slow spin relaxation. Our optical measurements on an ensemble of Mo impurities in SiC show a spin lifetime T-1 of 2.4 s at 2 K.

Although various defect centers have displayed promise as either quantum sensors, single photon emitters, or light-matter interfaces, the search for an ideal defect with multifunctional ability remains open. In this spirit, we study the dichroic silicon vacancies in silicon carbide that feature two well-distinguishable zero-phonon lines and analyze the quantum properties in their optical emission and spin control. We demonstrate that this center combines 40% optical emission into the zero-phonon lines showing the contrasting difference in optical properties with varying temperature and polarization, and a 100% increase in the fluorescence intensity upon the spin resonance, and long spin coherence time of their spin-3/2 ground states up to 0.6 ms. These results single out this defect center as a promising system for spin-based quantum technologies.

The identification of a microscopic configuration of point defects acting as quantum bits is a key step in the advance of quantum information processing and sensing. Among the numerous candidates, silicon-vacancy related centers in silicon carbide (SiC) have shown remarkable properties owing to their particular spin-3/2 ground and excited states. Although, these centers were observed decades ago, two competing models, the isolated negatively charged silicon vacancy and the complex of negatively charged silicon vacancy and neutral carbon vacancy [Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 247602 (2015)], are still argued as an origin. By means of high-precision first-principles calculations and high-resolution electron spin resonance measurements, we here unambiguously identify the Si-vacancy related qubits in hexagonal SiC as isolated negatively charged silicon vacancies. Moreover, we identify the Si-vacancy qubit configurations that provide room-temperature optical readout.

By minority carrier transient spectroscopy on as-grown n-type bulk GaN produced by halide vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) one hole trap labelled H1 (EV + 0.34 eV) has been detected. After 2 MeV-energy electron irradiation, the concentration of H1 increases and at fluences higher than 5×10¹⁴ cm^-2, a second hole trap labelled H2 is observed. Simultaneously, the concentration of two electron traps, labelled T1 (E_C - 0.12 eV) and T2 (E_C - 0.23 eV) increases. By studying the increase of the concentration versus electron irradiation fluences, the introduction rate of T1 and T2 using 2 MeV-energy electrons was determined to 7X10^-3 cm^-1 and 0.9 cm^-1, respectively. Due to the low introduction rate of T1 and the low threading dislocation density in the HVPE bulk GaN material, it is suggested that the defect is associated with a primary defect decorating extended structural defects. The high introduction rate of the trap H1 suggests that the H1 defect is associated with a primary intrinsic defect or a complex.

Using medium- and high-resolution multi-spectra fitting of deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), minority carrier transient spectroscopy (MCTS), optical O-DLTS and optical-electrical (OE)-MCTS measurements, we show that the EH_6∕7 deep level in 4H-SiC is composed of two strongly overlapping, two electron emission processes with thermal activation energies of 1.49 eV and 1.58 eV for EH₆ and 1.48 eV and 1.66 eV for EH₇. The electron emission peaks of EH₇ completely overlap while the emission peaks of EH₆ occur offset at slightly different temperatures in the spectra. OE-MCTS measurements of the hole capture cross section σ_{p 0}(T) in p-type samples reveal a trap-Auger process, whereby hole capture into the defect occupied by two electrons leads to a recombination event and the ejection of the second electron into the conduction band. Values of the hole and electron capture cross sections σ_n(T) and σ_p(T) differ strongly due to the donor like nature of the deep levels and while all σ_n(T) have a negative temperature dependence, the σ_p(T) appear to be temperature independent. Average values at the DLTS measurement temperature (∼600 K) are σ_{n 2}+(T) ≈ 1 × 10⁻¹⁴ cm², σ_n +(T) ≈ 1 × 10⁻¹⁴ cm², and σ_{p 0}(T) ≈ 9 × 10⁻¹⁸ cm² for EH₆ and σ_{n 2}+(T) ≈ 2 × 10⁻¹⁴ cm², σ_n +(T) ≈ 2 × 10⁻¹⁴ cm², σ_{p 0}(T) ≈ 1 × 10⁻²⁰ cm² for EH₇. Since EH₇ has already been identified as a donor transition of the carbon vacancy, we propose that the EH_6∕7 center in total represents the overlapping first and second donor transitions of the carbon vacancy defects on both inequivalent lattice sites.

Using deep level transient spectroscopy, deep levels and capture cross sections of defects introduced by high-fluence electron irradiation of thick halide vapour phase epitaxy grown GaN has been studied. After irradiation with 2 MeV electrons to a high-fluence of 5×10¹⁶ cm-2, four deep trap levels, labelled T1 (EC – 0.13 eV), T2 (EC – 0.18 eV), T3 (EC – 0.26 eV) T4 and a broad band of peaks consisting of at least two levels could be observed. These defects, except T1 and T3, were annealed out after annealing at 650 K for 2 hours. The capture cross section is found to be temperature independent for T2 and T3, while T1 shows an decresing capture cross section with increasing temperature, suggesting that electron capturing to this deep level is governed by a cascade capturing process.

Spins in solids are cornerstone elements of quantum spintronics(1). Leading contenders such as defects in diamond(2-5) or individual phosphorus dopants in silicon(6) have shown spectacular progress, but either lack established nanotechnology or an efficient spin/photon interface. Silicon carbide (SiC) combines the strength of both systems(5):it has a large bandgap with deep defects(7-9) and benefits from mature fabrication techniques(10-12). Here, we report the characterization of photoluminescence and optical spin polarization from single silicon vacancies in SiC, and demonstrate that single spins can be addressed at room temperature. We show coherent control of a single defect spin and find long spin coherence times under ambient conditions. Our study provides evidence that SiC is a promising system for atomic-scale spintronics and quantum technology.

Two self-doped conjugated polyelectrolytes, having semiconducting and metallic behaviors, respectively, have been blended from aqueous solutions in order to produce materials with enhanced optical and electrical properties. The intimate blend of two anionic conjugated polyelectrolytes combine the electrical and optical properties of these, and can be tuned by blend stoichiometry. In situ conductance measurements have been done during doping of the blends, while UV vis and EPR spectroelectrochemistry allowed the study of the nature of the involved redox species. We have constructed an accumulation/depletion mode organic electrochemical transistor whose characteristics can be tuned by balancing the stoichiometry of the active material.