Enhanced cavity coupling to silicon vacancies in 4H silicon carbide using laser irradiation and thermal annealing

The negatively charged silicon monovacancy VSi− in 4H silicon carbide (SiC) is a spin-active point defect that has the potential to act as a qubit in solid-state quantum information applications. Photonic crystal cavities (PCCs) can augment the optical emission of the VSi−, yet fine-tuning the defect–cavity interaction remains challenging. We report on two postfabrication processes that result in enhancement of the V1′ optical emission from our PCCs, an indication of improved coupling between the cavity and ensemble of silicon vacancies. Below-bandgap irradiation at 785-nm and 532-nm wavelengths carried out at times ranging from a few minutes to several hours results in stable enhancement of emission, believed to result from changing the relative ratio of VSi0 (“dark state”) to VSi− (“bright state”). The much faster change effected by 532-nm irradiation may result from cooperative charge-state conversion due to proximal defects. Thermal annealing at 100 °C, carried out over 20 min, also results in emission enhancements and may be explained by the relatively low-activation energy diffusion of carbon interstitials Ci, subsequently recombining with other defects to create additional VSi−s. These PCC-enabled experiments reveal insights into defect modifications and interactions within a controlled, designated volume and indicate pathways to improved defect–cavity interactions.