Spin-relaxation times exceeding seconds for color centers with strong spin-orbit coupling in SiC

• Spin-active color centers in solids show good performance for quantum technologies. Several transition-metal defects in SiC offer compatibility with telecom and semiconductor industries. However, whether their strong spin-orbit coupling degrades their spin lifetimes is not clear. We show that a combination of a crystal-field with axial symmetry and spin-orbit coupling leads to a suppression of spin-lattice and spin-spin interactions, resulting in remarkably slow spin relaxation. Our optical measurements on an ensemble of Mo impurities in SiC show a spin lifetime T-1 of 2.4 s at 2 K.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Den kondenserade materiens fysik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Condensed Matter Physics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

semiconductor defects; quantum information; defect symmetries; spin– lattice interaction

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)