White Paper
Making Better Diamond and SiC Quantum Devices

Colour centres, also known as solid state defects, and most closely associated with the diamond NV centre, are used for a wide range of quantum applications. Researchers have studied their use for single photon sources, quantum memories, quantum repeaters, and for a variety of quantum sensing applications, including piezometers, electrometers, thermometers, and magnetometers¹.

Colour centres have several advantages as compared to other systems, including relatively long coherence time, operational temperatures up to room temperature, a variety of optical operational frequencies, and all the advantages inherent to any solid-state system, such as compatibility with well-developed tools for lithography, etch, and thin film deposition.

In this whitepaper, we describe:

• The mechanisms by which colour centres can be used as sensors
• Device fabrication requirements and challenges in these systems
• The future of this field, including new material systems and fabrication requirements for the second generation of colour centre-based devices.

1. Zhang, Gang, et al. "Material platforms for defect qubits and single-photon emitters." Applied Physics Reviews 7.3 (2020): 031308.

Author

Dr Russ Renzas
Quantum Technologies Market Manager, Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology