Arrays of Si vacancies in 4H-SiC produced by focused Li ion beam implantation

Point defects in SiC are an attractive platform for quantum information and sensing applications because they provide relatively long spin coherence times, optical spin initialization, and spin-dependent fluorescence readout in a fabrication-friendly semiconductor. The ability to precisely place these defects at the optimal location in a host material with nano-scale accuracy is desirable for integration of these quantum systems with traditional electronic and photonic structures. Here, we demonstrate the precise spatial patterning of arrays of silicon vacancy ($${V}_{Si}$$ V Si ) emitters in an epitaxial 4H-SiC (0001) layer through mask-less focused ion beam implantation of Li+. We characterize these arrays with high-resolution scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy on the Si-face, observing sharp emission lines primarily coming from the $${V1}^{{\prime}}$$ V 1 ′ zero-phonon line (ZPL). The implantation dose is varied over 3 orders of magnitude, leading to $${V}_{Si}$$ V Si densities from a few per implantation spot to thousands per spot, with a linear dependence between ZPL emission and implantation dose. Optically-detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) is also performed, confirming the presence of V2 $${V}_{Si}$$ V Si . Our investigation reveals scalable and reproducible defect generation.