Photoluminescence of Femtosecond Laser-irradiated Silicon Carbide

TL;DR

This study investigates femtosecond laser irradiation of silicon carbide (SiC), revealing surface modifications and photoluminescence effects, including a lowered threshold when applied to SiC with epitaxial graphene, advancing quantum defect engineering.

Contribution

It introduces a novel femtosecond laser technique for creating optically active defects in SiC, compatible with industrial-grade systems and graphene layers.

Findings

Femtosecond laser irradiation induces surface modifications in SiC.

Photoluminescence is observed post-irradiation, indicating defect formation.

Lowered photoluminescence threshold in SiC with epitaxial graphene.

Abstract

Silicon carbide (SiC) is the leading wide-bandgap semiconductor material, providing mature doping and device fabrication. Additionally, SiC hosts a multitude of optically active point defects (color centers) and is relevant for many applications in quantum technologies. A crucial step towards harnessing the full potential of the SiC platform includes technologies to create color centers with defined localization and density, e.g. to facilitate their coupling to nano-photonic structures and to observe cooperative effects. Here, silicon vacancy centers and divacancies stand out as no impurity atom is needed and high-thermal budget annealing steps can be avoided. We characterize the effect of localized, femtosecond laser irradiation of SiC, investigating surface modifications and photoluminescence including Raman spectroscopy and optical lifetime measurements. We employ commercial high-purity, semi-insulating substrates and an industrial grade laser system to explore broader applicability of the method. As a novel approach, we apply femtosecond laser irradiation to SiC substrates with an epitaxial graphene layer and find that the threshold for photoluminescence due to laser treatment is lowered.