Room temperature optically detected magnetic resonance of single spins in GaN

• Published in: Nature materials Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 512 - 518
• Main Authors: Luo, Jialun, Geng, Yifei, Rana, Farhan, Fuchs, Gregory D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.04.2024; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 639/301/119/1001; 639/766/483/3925; Biomaterials; Boron; Boron nitride; Chemistry and Materials Science; Color centers; Condensed Matter Physics; Defects; Diamonds; Electron spin; Electron states; Gallium nitrides; Magnetic fields; Magnetic properties; Magnetic resonance; Materials Science; Nanotechnology; Optical and Electronic Materials; Optical properties; Quantum sensors; Room temperature
• ISSN: 1476-1122; 1476-4660; 1476-4660
• DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01803-5

High-contrast optically detected magnetic resonance is a valuable property for reading out the spin of isolated defect colour centres at room temperature. Spin-active single defect centres have been studied in wide bandgap materials including diamond, SiC and hexagonal boron nitride, each with associated advantages for applications. We report the discovery of optically detected magnetic resonance in two distinct species of bright, isolated defect centres hosted in GaN. In one group, we find negative optically detected magnetic resonance of a few percent associated with a metastable electronic state, whereas in the other, we find positive optically detected magnetic resonance of up to 30% associated with the ground and optically excited electronic states. We examine the spin symmetry axis of each defect species and establish coherent control over a single defect’s ground-state spin. Given the maturity of the semiconductor host, these results are promising for scalable and integrated quantum sensing applications. Optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) is an efficient mechanism for quantum sensors and has been discovered in a few systems, but all have technological limitations. Here the authors report room temperature ODMR in single defects in GaN, promising for integrated quantum sensing applications.