Hyperfine-mediated transitions between electronic spin-1/2 levels of transition metal defects in SiC

Carmem Maia Gilardoni*, Irina Ion, Freddie Hendriks, Michael Trupke, Caspar van der Wal*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Transition metal defects in SiC give rise to localized electronic states that can be optically addressed in the telecom range in an industrially mature semiconductor platform. This has led to intense scrutiny of the spin and optical properties of these defect centers. For spin-1/2 defects, a combination of the defect symmetry and the strong spin-orbit coupling may restrict the allowed spin transitions, giving rise to defect spins that are long lived, but hard to address via microwave spin manipulation. Here, we show via analytical and numerical results that the presence of a central nuclear spin can lead to a non-trivial mixing of electronic spin states, while preserving the defect symmetry. The interplay between a small applied magnetic field and hyperfine coupling opens up magnetic microwave transitions that are forbidden in the absence of hyperfine coupling, enabling efficient manipulation of the electronic spin. We also find that an electric microwave field parallel to the c-axis can be used to manipulate the electronic spin via modulation of the relative strength of the dipolar hyperfine term.
Original languageEnglish
Article number083010
Number of pages17
JournalNew Journal of Physics
Volume23
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 5-Aug-2021

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