Magnetic field and temperature sensing with atomic-scale spin defects in silicon carbide

Area of Science:

• Quantum sensing
• Materials science
• Solid-state physics

Background:

• Quantum systems offer high performance in sensing across diverse fields like bioscience and nanotechnology.
• Atomic-scale defects in silicon carbide (SiC) are promising due to material advantages and controllable optical/RF properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and characterize spin-3/2 centers in silicon carbide for advanced sensing applications.
• To explore the potential of these defects for vector magnetometry, thermometry, and synchronized quantum clocks.

Main Methods:

• Identification and characterization of multiple, individually addressable spin-3/2 centers within the same SiC crystal.
• Analysis of spectral properties, including response to temperature and strain fluctuations.

Main Results:

• Several spin-3/2 centers immune to nonaxial strain fluctuations were identified.
• Some centers exhibit temperature-independent axial crystal fields, suitable for vector magnetometry.
• Another center shows a significant thermal shift (-1.1 MHz/K) for thermometry.
• A synchronized composite clock utilizing spin centers with differential thermal responses was discussed.

Conclusions:

• Silicon carbide defects provide versatile platforms for quantum sensing.
• The distinct properties of identified spin centers enable applications in precise vector magnetometry and thermometry.
• Exploiting differential thermal responses leads to novel synchronized quantum clock functionalities.