Rare-earth doped yttrium silicate (Y2SiO5) thin films grown by chemical vapour deposition for quantum technologies

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel chemical vapor deposition method for growing rare-earth doped yttrium silicate thin films on silicon, aiming to advance quantum memory and information processing technologies.

Contribution

It introduces a new DLI-CVD technique for fabricating high-quality RE-doped YSO thin films compatible with silicon wafers for quantum applications.

Findings

Achieved phase-pure, crystalline Y2SiO5 films with optimized deposition and annealing.

Demonstrated optical properties of Eu3+ ions suitable for quantum technologies.

Discussed mechanisms of phase formation and potential for quantum device integration.

Abstract

Yttrium orthosilicate (Y2SiO5 - YSO) is one of the most promising crystals to host rare-earth (RE) ions for quantum technologies applications. In this matrix, they indeed exhibit narrow optical and spin linewidths that can be exploited to develop quantum memories or quantum information processing capabilities. In this paper, we propose a new method to grow RE doped silicate thin films on silicon wafers based on direct liquid injection chemical vapour deposition (DLI-CVD). We optimize the deposition and annealing conditions to achieve formation of the high temperature X2-YSO phase. The phase purity and crystalline quality of the films are assessed by evaluating the optical properties of Eu3+ ions embedded in this oxide matrix. In view of the results, we discuss the possible phase formation mechanisms, and the potential of this new wafer-compatible form of YSO for quantum technologies applications.