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arXiv:2511.22485

Wavelength-Dependent Electrical Readout of Spin Ensembles in a Thin-Film SiC-on-Insulator Platform

Alexander Zappacosta, Ben Haylock, Paul Fisher, Naoya Morioka, Robert Cernansky

quant-phSubmitted Nov 27, 2025• Announced Nov 28, 2025• Revised Apr 21, 2026 (v2)
v1 · Nov 27, 2025v2 · Apr 21, 2026
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We report electrical spin state readout and coherent control of an ensemble ($\sim$540) of silicon vacancies ($\mathrm{V}_{\mathrm{Si}}^{-}$) in a silicon carbide-on-insulator (SiCOI) platform, with excitation wavelengths from 780 to 990 nm, demonstrating for the first time spin state readout well beyond the zero phonon line of the V2 $\mathrm{V}_{\mathrm{Si}}^{-}$. By implementing photoelectrical detection of magnetic resonance in thin-film SiCOI, we merge a scalable spin readout technique requiring no collection optics, together with a promising platform for future scalable and CMOS-compatible integrated photonics. Furthermore, we provide a comparison of optical and electrical readout between bulk silicon carbide (SiC) and thin-film SiCOI, revealing that our thin-film processing has a measured $T_2$ coherence time of $\approx 7 μ$s , similar to that in the bulk SiC. These results extend the capabilities of SiCOI toward electronic and spin-based devices for scalable quantum technologies over a wide range of excitation wavelengths.

Journal reference
(2026) Nano Letters.
DOI
10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c05971
Comments
Main Text: 11 Pages, 4 Figures; Supplementary: 5 pages, 8 Figures

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We report electrical spin state readout and coherent control of an ensemble (∼\sim∼540) of silicon vacancies (VSi−\mathrm{V}_{\mathrm{Si}}^{-}VSi−​) in a silicon carbide-on-insulator (SiCOI) platform, with excitation wavelengths from 780 to 990 nm, demonstrating for the first time spin state readout well beyond the zero phonon line of the V2 VSi−\mathrm{V}_{\mathrm{Si}}^{-}VSi−​. By implementing photoelectrical detection of magnetic resonance in thin-film SiCOI, we merge a scalable spin readout technique requiring no collection optics, together with a promising platform for future scalable and CMOS-compatible integrated photonics. Furthermore, we provide a comparison of optical and electrical readout between bulk silicon carbide (SiC) and thin-film SiCOI, revealing that our thin-film processing has a measured T2T_2T2​ coherence time of ≈7μ\approx 7 μ≈7μs , similar to that in the bulk SiC. These results extend the capabilities of SiCOI toward electronic and spin-based devices for scalable quantum technologies over a wide range of excitation wavelengths.
Scalable solid-state quantum sensors require simultaneous advances in spin-readout fidelity, photon collection efficiency, and device-level integration, which so far have remained elusive on most material platforms. Here, we overcome these limitations by coupling silicon vacancy spin centers to an array of circular Bragg grating cavities on a scalable thin-film silicon carbide-on-insulator (4H-SiCOI) platform. By employing anti-Stokes excitation, we show that the cavity-enhanced emission compensates for intrinsically weak anti-Stokes absorption, yielding a 24.6-fold increase in collected fluorescence, a high 1.78% spin-readout contrast at zero field, and a 6.42-fold improvement in magnetometry sensitivity. This high spin-readout fidelity further enables the spectroscopic resolution of intrinsic dark-spin bath interactions in 4H-SiCOI, revealing the underlying decoherence mechanisms. Our work establishes cavity-enhanced anti-Stokes excitation as a general and feasible route for silicon carbide quantum technologies, paving the way for scalable manufacturing of spin-based quantum sensors and integrated photonic circuits.
Abstract Silicon carbide (SiC) is an excellent industrially compatible material, which has been widely used in high power electronic devices. Recently, spin defects in SiC have been found to be a high-quality spin-to-photon interface with long spin coherence time and high spin-selective optical transition. Spin states can be initialized and readout with extremely high fidelity. The infrared and even telecom fluorescence is suited for fiber communication with less scatting loss. The bandwidth of intrinsic zero-phonon-line emission can be manipulated by classical electrical devices. The achieved near lifetime-limited optical linewidths greatly increase the indistinguishability of photon emission and facilitate the connection with other narrowband absorption quantum systems, such as cold atoms, trapped ions, and rare-earth dopants in crystals. Moreover, spin defects coupled with photonic nanocavities have been demonstrated, which can greatly enhance the photon emission in the zero-phonon-line. The realization of controllable electron-nuclear spin entanglement further extends the memory-based quantum applications. In this perspective, we will briefly discuss the most recent development of spin defects in SiC. These results show that spin defects in SiC are desirable quantum platforms for quantum networking applications. We also discuss some of the current challenges and possible future development.
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Abstract Solid-state spin–photon interfaces operating in the near-telecom and telecom bands are a key resource for long-distance quantum communication and scalable quantum networks. However, their optical transitions often suffer from spectral diffusion that hampers the generation of coherent spin–photon entanglement. Here we demonstrate narrow magneto-optical transitions of erbium dopants implanted into thin-film silicon carbide (SiC)-on-insulator, a viable platform for industrially scalable quantum networks. Using high-resolution resonant spectroscopy and spectral hole burning at cryogenic temperatures, we reveal sub-megahertz homogeneous linewidths and identify two lattice sites that best stabilise the emitters. We further characterise their optical lifetimes and magneto-optical response, establishing erbium-doped SiC-on-insulator as a robust and scalable platform for on-chip quantum networks.
Silicon carbide (SiC) is a promising platform for scalable quantum technologies owing to its well-established, wafer-scale industrial processing. SiC also hosts a variety of optically active color centres including the nitrogen vacancy defect that has a spin-triplet ground state. However, strong phonon coupling in the infrared range limits photon extraction from these defects. Here, we use nanophotonic structures, specifically micro-pillar and micro-disk resonators, to enhance optical collection and spin-readout. The micro-pillar geometry yields a 4-fold increase in photon collection, accompanied by a 2.4-fold reduction in spectral noise in optically detected magnetic resonance measurements. Consequently, the magnetic field sensitivity is improved by 24%. The large mode volume of the micro-disk supports resonances spanning 1150-1250 nm, enabling broadband coupling to nitrogen vacancy emission lines. Our results demonstrate that fabrication of scalable photonic structures efficiently improves performance of silicon carbide color centers for integrated quantum light generation and sensing.