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Applied Research

Advancements and Challenges in Color Center‐Based Quantum Computing Architectures

Alberto Boretti, Stefania Castelletto

Published Dec 1, 2025• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

ABSTRACT Quantum computing leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to perform computations that are infeasible for classical computers. Color centers, which are point defects in a crystal lattice where vacancies in the lattice and/or an impurity atom replace a host atom, exhibit unique optical, electronic, and nuclear spin properties that make them suitable for quantum information and communication processing as well as for quantum computations with quantum memory. Among the color centers, nitrogen‐vacancy centers in diamond, the most developed, silicon vacancy (V Si ) centers in silicon carbide (SiC), and boron vacancy (V B ) centers in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) have emerged as leading candidates. Diamond and SiC material hosts are particularly promising due to the long spin and photon coherence times, optical addressability, compatibility with various quantum operations, while SiC promises higher compatibility with scalable industrial fabrication processing, and 2D materials are better suited for hybrid photonics and electronics integration. This paper provides a detailed overview of the advantages, challenges, and recent advancements in using these color centers for quantum computing. In addition, it discusses other potential color centers of interest, such as silicon (SiV) and germanium (GeV) vacancies in diamond, tin vacancies (SnV) in diamond, chromium and nickel centers in diamond, and rare‐earth ions in host materials like yttrium orthosilicate and calcium fluoride. By understanding and utilizing the properties of these diverse color centers, researchers aim to develop more efficient, scalable, and versatile quantum computers, which could lead to hybrid quantum‐classical systems that combine the strengths of different platforms and potentially transform fields like cryptography, material science, drug discovery, and complex system simulations (climate modeling, fusion energy).

DOI
10.1002/appl.70058

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ABSTRACT Quantum computing leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to perform computations that are infeasible for classical computers. Color centers, which are point defects in a crystal lattice where vacancies in the lattice and/or an impurity atom replace a host atom, exhibit unique optical, electronic, and nuclear spin properties that make them suitable for quantum information and communication processing as well as for quantum computations with quantum memory. Among the color centers, nitrogen‐vacancy centers in diamond, the most developed, silicon vacancy (V Si ) centers in silicon carbide (SiC), and boron vacancy (V B ) centers in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) have emerged as leading candidates. Diamond and SiC material hosts are particularly promising due to the long spin and photon coherence times, optical addressability, compatibility with various quantum operations, while SiC promises higher compatibility with scalable industrial fabrication processing, and 2D materials are better suited for hybrid photonics and electronics integration. This paper provides a detailed overview of the advantages, challenges, and recent advancements in using these color centers for quantum computing. In addition, it discusses other potential color centers of interest, such as silicon (SiV) and germanium (GeV) vacancies in diamond, tin vacancies (SnV) in diamond, chromium and nickel centers in diamond, and rare‐earth ions in host materials like yttrium orthosilicate and calcium fluoride. By understanding and utilizing the properties of these diverse color centers, researchers aim to develop more efficient, scalable, and versatile quantum computers, which could lead to hybrid quantum‐classical systems that combine the strengths of different platforms and potentially transform fields like cryptography, material science, drug discovery, and complex system simulations (climate modeling, fusion energy).
Abstract Color centers in diamond, silicon carbide, and related materials have recently emerged as one of the most promising platforms for quantum technology applications. These optically active point defects in the crystal lattice demonstrate outstanding optical and spin properties at room and even higher temperatures, which can hardly be achieved using other quantum systems. For a long time, the host material was considered only as a mechanical carrier of color centers, and the fact that it is a semiconductor and, therefore, can contain high densities of electrons and holes, was ignored. However, recent studies have demonstrated that color centers can exchange electrons and holes with the valence or conduction bands of the host material, which enables novel functionalities, ranging from ultrabright electrically driven single‐photon sources to protected quantum memories. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding this interaction.
Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond have emerged as a focal point in quantum technology research due to their exceptional optical and electronic spin properties. This discovery not only expands our understanding of the material properties of diamond but also paves the way for practical applications in quantum technology. As a solid-state spin quantum system characterized by long electron spin coherence times and stable performance, NV color centers offer distinct advantages in quantum information processing. Recent advancements have enabled the fabrication of high-quality NV color centers with controllable concentration and spatial positioning through techniques such as in situ doping, ion implantation, and hybrid approaches. These technological breakthroughs have significantly enhanced the efficiency of NV center fabrication, thereby establishing a robust foundation for their widespread application in quantum sensing and quantum information technologies. This review provides a compre­hensive introduction to the structure and fundamental properties of NV color centers in diamond, an in-depth analysis of recent progress in their fabrication techniques, and a critical discussion of their current applications in quantum science and technology. Additionally, the challenges, open questions, and future research directions in NV color center studies are addressed.
Atomic‐scale impurity spins, also called color centers, in an otherwise spin‐free diamond host lattice have proven to be versatile tools for applications in solid‐state‐based quantum technologies ranging from quantum information processing (QIP) to quantum‐enhanced sensing and metrology. Due to its wide band gap, diamond can host hundreds of different color centers. However, their suitability for QIP or sensing applications has only been tested for a handful of these, with the nitrogen vacancy (NV) strongly dominating this field of research. Due to its limited optical properties, the success of the NV for QIP applications however strongly depends on the development of efficient photonic interfaces. In the past years the negatively charged silicon vacancy (SiV−) center received significant attention due to its highly favourable spectral properties such as narrow zero phonon line transitions and weak phonon sidebands. Here, the recent work investigating the SiV center's orbital and electron spin coherence properties is reviewed as well as techniques to coherently control its quantum state using microwave as well as optical fields. Also, potential future experimental directions to improve the SiV's coherence time scale and to develop it into a valuable tool for QIP applications are outlined.
Point defects in diamond, particularly nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers, have emerged as powerful tools for a broad range of quantum technologies. These defects are promising candidates for quantum information science, serving as deterministic single-photon sources and solid-state quantum memories. They have also been employed as nanoscale quantum sensors to detect various physical quantities, including magnetic fields, electric fields, and temperature, owing to their long spin coherence time at room temperature. Development of these diamond-based quantum technologies has been rapidly boosted by a recent quantum leap in nanofabrication technologies for high-quality single-crystal diamond. Incorporating these color centers into diamond nanostructures with mature integrated photonics provides a promising route to build scalable and practical systems for quantum applications. This review discusses recent progress and challenges in the hybrid integration of diamond color centers on cutting-edge photonic platforms. Nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond have emerged as powerful tools for a broad range of quantum technologies. This review discusses recent progress and challenges in the hybrid integration of diamond color centers on cutting-edge photonic platforms.
Solid-state color-center spin defects provide a versatile platform for quantum sensing with applications ranging from nanoscale magnetometry to thermometry and electrometry. This review surveys recent progress in nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond and defect spins in silicon carbide (SiC), with emphasis on their material properties, fabrication strategies, and coherence engineering. Key defect creation and optimization techniques, including ion implantation, femtosecond laser writing, focused ion beam nanofabrication, isotopic engineering, and surface passivation, are discussed in the context of improving spin coherence and optical performance. Fundamental quantum measurement protocols, optically detected magnetic resonance, Rabi oscillations, Ramsey interferometry, and spin echo, are reviewed as a hierarchical framework for characterizing spin control, dephasing, and intrinsic coherence. The review further highlights microscale sensing architectures and examines the growing role of machine learning in pulse optimization, adaptive estimation, and data-driven imaging. Finally, current challenges and future directions are outlined, focusing on scalability, environmental robustness, and autonomous operation. Together, these developments position diamond and SiC color centers as leading platforms for next-generation solid-state quantum sensors.
Abstract On the demand of single‐photon entangled light sources and high‐sensitivity probes in the fields of quantum information processing, weak magnetic field detection and biosensing, the nitrogen vacancy (NV) color center is very attractive and has been deeply and intensively studied, due to its convenience of spin initialization, operation, and optical readout combined with long coherence time in the ambient environment. Although the application prospect is promising, there are still some problems to be solved before fully exerting its characteristic performance, including enhancement of emission of NV centers in certain charge state (NV− or NV0), obtaining indistinguishable photons, and improving of collecting efficiency for the photons. Herein, the research progress in these issues is reviewed and commented on to help researchers grasp the current trends. In addition, the development of emerging color centers, such as germanium vacancy defects, and rare‐earth dopants, with great potential for various applications, are also briefly surveyed.