Correlating dynamic strain and photoluminescence of solid-state defects with stroboscopic x-ray diffraction...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Quantum Information Science
• Solid-State Physics

Background:

• Controlling local lattice perturbations near optically-active defects in semiconductors is vital for advancing solid-state qubits.
• Applications include quantum information science and nanoscale sensing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a stroboscopic scanning X-ray diffraction microscopy approach.
• To achieve real-space imaging of dynamic strain correlated with photoluminescence measurements.
• To map micro-radian dynamic lattice curvatures with high spatial and temporal resolution.

Main Methods:

• Utilized nano-focused X-ray photon pulses synchronized with a surface acoustic wave launcher.
• Achieved ~100 ps time resolution and 25 nm spatial resolution.
• Applied the technique to 4H-SiC, hosting room-temperature vacancy spin defects.

Main Results:

• Successfully mapped dynamic lattice curvatures induced by surface acoustic waves.
• Correlated acoustically induced lattice distortions with enhanced photoluminescence responses of SiC quantum defects.
• Demonstrated the influence of local piezoelectric effects on quantum defect behavior.

Conclusions:

• The developed stroboscopic X-ray diffraction microscopy offers a unique route for imaging local strain in nanomechanical structures.
• Enables quantification of dynamic structure-function relationships in materials under operating conditions.
• Provides a powerful tool for understanding and controlling semiconductor defects for quantum applications.