4H-SiC wafers are available for nitrogen vacancy(NV) color center research. For more wafer information, please contact our sales team: victorchan@powerwaywafer.com

1. Backgroud for Quantum Sensing Research on 4H-SiC

Quantum sensing technology, with its unique ability to utilize quantum mechanical properties such as quantum entanglement and quantum interference, has demonstrated its potential to surpass classical sensors in improving sensing accuracy and sensitivity. It has enormous application space in the fields of biomedicine and geophysics (including mineral exploration and seismology), covering microscopes, positioning systems, communication technology, and electromagnetic field sensors. In addition, quantum sensing technology has unique advantages in detecting weak RF signals, which has a profound impact on the applications, like security.

However, to achieve efficient quantum sensing, some technical challenges need to be overcome, such as the preparation, operation, and readout of quantum states, as well as the decoherence problem caused by the interaction between quantum systems and the environment. In this context, the unique advantages of silicon carbide have begun to emerge, as it is compatible with conventional electronic circuits and has mature industrial scale production and doping technology.

 2. Quantum Sensing Research in SiC by Nitrogen Vacancy Color Center

Recently, a research team has proposed an innovative method for quantum sensing using nitrogen vacancy (NV) color centers in silicon carbide, allowing weak radio frequency (RF) signals to be detected at room temperature. The research team first conducted a detailed study on key parameters such as zero phonon line (ZPL), coherence time, and relaxation time of NV color centers in silicon carbide, and compared these characteristics with the corresponding characteristics of NV color centers in diamond. They found that the ZPL of the NV color center in silicon carbide is located in the near-infrared range and has a good match with the fiber optic communication band. Although the coherence time of NV color centers in silicon carbide is affected by nuclear spin bath and electronic noise, its coherence time can be significantly improved by using dynamic decoupling technology.

By introducing dynamic decoupling technology (XY8-N pulse sequence), they successfully extended the coherence time of NV color centers in silicon carbide by 10 times, reaching 28.1 microseconds. Subsequently, they used correlation spectroscopy methods to achieve a spectral resolution of 10 kHz at a frequency of approximately 900 kHz. The research team further adopted synchronous readout technology, resulting in a significant improvement in spectral resolution, increasing by 1000 times to 0.01 kHz.

Fig. 1 Correlation spectra of quantum sensing based on SiC

This discovery provides new possibilities for the field of quantum sensing, especially in the precise detection of radio frequency signals. Meanwhile, the research team’s approach has also opened up a new path for SiC semiconductor as a quantum sensing platform.

For more information, please contact us email at victorchan@powerwaywafer.com and powerwaymaterial@gmail.com.