Color Centers Enabled by Direct Femto-Second Laser Writing in Wide Bandgap Semiconductors

Area of Science:

• Quantum Technologies
• Materials Science
• Optics and Photonics

Background:

• Color centers in silicon carbide are crucial for quantum applications like single photon sources, spin qubits, and quantum sensing.
• Existing methods for creating color centers may lack precision or cause significant material damage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of femtosecond laser writing for generating vacancy-related color centers in silicon carbide and gallium nitride.
• To optimize laser fabrication parameters for creating high-quality color centers with precise localization and minimal damage.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a 515 nm wavelength, 230 fs pulsed laser for femtosecond laser writing in silicon carbide and gallium nitride.
• Characterized the generated color centers using photoluminescence spectroscopy.
• Analyzed the relationship between laser fabrication energy and the number of color centers formed.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated large arrays of silicon vacancy defects in silicon carbide with high localization (<500 nm) and minimal material damage.
• Observed photoluminescence from visible to infrared wavelengths from the fabricated color centers.
• Demonstrated power-law scaling between laser energy and color center formation, indicating photoinduced ionization as the creation mechanism.

Conclusions:

• Femtosecond laser writing is a simple, flexible, and effective technique for fabricating color center arrays in silicon carbide for quantum applications.
• The precise control over defect generation and minimal material damage make this method highly suitable for advancing quantum technologies.