Activation and control of visible single defects in 4H-, 6H-, and 3C-SiC by oxidation

In this work, we present the creation and characterisation of single photon emitters at the surface of 4H- and 6H-SiC, and of 3C-SiC epitaxially grown on silicon. These emitters can be created by annealing in an oxygen atmosphere at temperatures above 550 °C. By using standard confocal microscopy techniques, we find characteristic spectral signatures in the visible region. The excited state lifetimes are found to be in the nanosecond regime in all three polytypes, and the emission dipoles are aligned with the lattice. HF-etching is shown to effectively annihilate the defects and to restore an optically clean surface. The defects described in this work have ideal characteristics for broadband single photon generation in the visible spectral region at room temperature and for integration into nanophotonic devices.