Nitrogen vacancy center in cubic silicon carbide: A promising qubit in the 1.5 μ m spectral range for photonic quantum networks

We have investigated the optical properties of the (NV)− center in 3C-SiC to determine the photoluminscence zero phonon line (ZPL) associated with the E3→A23 intracenter transition. Combining electron paramagnetic resonance and photoluminescence spectroscopy, we show that the NV−center in 3C-SiC has a ZPL line at 1.468 μm in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions. The ZPL line can be observed up to T=100 K. The negatively charged NV center in 3C-SiC is the structural isomorphe of the NV center in diamond and has equally a spin S=1 ground state and a spin S=1 excited state, long spin lattice relaxation times and presents optically induced groudstate spin polarization. These properties make it already a strong competitor to the NV center in diamond, but as its optical domain is shifted in the near infrared at 1.5μm, the NV center in 3C-SiC is compatible with quantum photonic networks and silicon based microelectronics.