Purcell Enhancement and Spin Spectroscopy of Silicon Vacancy Centers in Silicon Carbide Using an Ultrasmall Mode-Volume Plasmonic Cavity

• Published in: Nano letters Vol. 24; no. 37; pp. 11669 - 11675
• Main Authors: So, Jae-Pil, Luo, Jialun, Choi, Jaehong, McCullian, Brendan, Fuchs, Gregory D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 18.09.2024
• Subjects: silicon vacancy; plasmonic cavity; spin spectroscopy; silicon carbide; Purcell enhancement
• ISSN: 1530-6984; 1530-6992; 1530-6992
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c03233

Silicon vacancy (VSi) centers in 4H-silicon carbide have emerged as a strong candidate for quantum networking applications due to their robust electronic and optical properties, including a long spin coherence lifetime and bright, stable emission. Here, we report the integration of VSi centers with a plasmonic nanocavity to Purcell enhance the emission, which is critical for scalable quantum networking. Employing a simple fabrication process, we demonstrate plasmonic cavities that support a nanoscale mode volume and exhibit an increase in the spontaneous emission rate with a measured Purcell factor of up to 48. In addition to investigating the optical resonance modes, we demonstrate an improvement in the optical stability of the spin-preserving resonant optical transitions relative to the radiation-limited value. The results highlight the potential of nanophotonic structures for advancing quantum networking technologies and emphasize the importance of optimizing emitter–cavity interactions for efficient quantum photonic applications.