Isotopically enriched epitaxial CaWO$_{4}$ thin films for Er$^{3+}$ spin-photon quantum interfaces

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the synthesis of isotopically purified Er$^{3+}$ doped CaWO$_{4}$ thin films with enhanced spin coherence properties, suitable for quantum photonic applications.

Contribution

The paper reports the growth of isotopically enriched CaWO$_{4}$ thin films with significantly reduced $^{183}$W nuclear spins, improving potential quantum coherence.

Findings

High crystalline quality indicated by narrow PL linewidths

Isotopic enrichment reduced $^{183}$W to 1.2%, lowering spin decoherence

Single-ion PL emission observed after nano-photonic integration

Abstract

Rare earth ion (REI)-doped oxide thin films are attractive for the application of quantum interconnects due to their stable optical levels and scalability$^{1-3}$. Among them, Er$^{3+}$ doped CaWO$_{4}$ is promising because it possesses narrow optical linewidth transitions and a long spin coherence time$^{4-6}$. The electron spin coherence is limited at high temperatures by paramagnetic impurities and by the presence of the 14.3% $^{183}$W nuclear spin. To further increase the spin coherence time at millikelvin temperatures, where the paramagnetic impurities are frozen out, our approach is to synthesize chemically and isotopically purified thin films as a host material. We first grow non-isotopically enriched Er$^{3+}$ doped CaWO$_{4}$ thin films, which exhibit a 214(13) MHz photoluminescence (PL) inhomogeneous linewidth, indicating the thin film has high crystalline quality. We then grow isotopically enriched CaWO$_{4}$ thin films using an isotopically purified $^{186}$WO$_{3}$ source. Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) was used to measure the relative concentration of W isotopes. $^{183}$W, the only W isotope that has a net nuclear spin and is the major cause of spin decoherence, was at a relative abundance of 1.2%, a factor of 10 lower than natural abundance. We also observed PL emission from single ions after integrating nano-photonic devices with the thin film. These results establish isotopically engineered CaWO$_{4}$ thin films as a promising platform for future studies of nuclear-spin-limited coherence and for scalable rare-earth-ion-based quantum nanophotonic devices.