Spin Polarization, Electron–Phonon Coupling, and Zero-Phonon Line of the NV Center in 3<i>C</i>-SiC
H. J. von Bardeleben, J. L. Cantin, U. Gerstmann, W. G. Schmidt, Timur Biktagirov
Abstract
The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in 3C-SiC, the analog of the NV center in diamond, has recently emerged as a solid-state qubit with competitive properties and significant technological advantages. Combining first-principles calculations and magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we provide thorough insight into its magneto-optical properties. By applying resonantly excited electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, we identified the zero-phonon absorption line of the 3A2 → 3E transition at 1289 nm (within the telecom O-band) and measured its phonon sideband, the analysis of which reveals a Huang–Rhys factor of S = 2.85 and a Debye–Waller factor of 5.8%. The low-temperature spin–lattice relaxation time was found to be exceptionally long (T1 = 17 s at 4 K). All these properties make NV in 3C-SiC a strong competitor for qubit applications. In addition, the strong variation of the zero-field splitting in the range 4–380 K allows its application for nanoscale thermal sensing.