Narrow magneto-optical transitions in Erbium implanted silicon carbide-on-insulator

TL;DR

This study demonstrates narrow magneto-optical transitions of erbium dopants in silicon carbide-on-insulator, showing potential for scalable quantum networks with stable, coherent spin-photon interfaces.

Contribution

It introduces erbium-doped SiC-on-insulator as a scalable platform with narrow optical transitions suitable for quantum communication.

Findings

Sub megahertz homogeneous linewidths observed

Identification of two lattice sites stabilizing emitters

Characterization of optical lifetimes and magneto-optical response

Abstract

Solid state spin photon interfaces operating in the near telecom and telecom bands are a key resource for long distance quantum communication and scalable quantum networks. However, their optical transitions often suffer from spectral diffusion that hampers the generation of coherent spin photon entanglement. Here we demonstrate narrow magneto-optical transitions of erbium dopants implanted into thin film silicon carbide (SiC)-on-insulator, a viable platform for industrially scalable quantum networks. Using high-resolution resonant spectroscopy and spectral hole burning at cryogenic temperatures, we reveal sub megahertz homogeneous linewidths and identify two lattice sites that best stabilise the emitters. We further characterise their optical lifetimes and magneto-optical response, establishing erbium doped SiC-on-insulator as a robust and scalable platform for on-chip quantum networks.