Control and tuning of color centers in 4H silicon carbide by application of electric field via Schottky diode

The ability to tune and manipulate the energy and intensity of photons emitted from color centers in semiconductors is of great importance for developing point defect quantum emitters as a platform for future quantum technology (QT) applications. One of the promising materials to realize point defect based QT is silicon carbide (SiC), as it combines a plethora of color center candidates with mature material processing and device fabrication. Here we explore the use of a Schottky diode, fabricated on a highly doped n-type 4H-SiC epitaxial layer, to control and modulate defect-related emission under both forward and reverse bias conditions. Zero phonon lines (ZPLs) from three prominent color centers are investigated: V1, V1’ and V2 assigned to the silicon vacancy, B1 and B2 from the carbon antisite-vacancy pair, and PL4 of the divacancy complex. All the studied defect-related emission wavelengths are found to shift in response to applied bias, but with a varying magnitude and direction of the shift. The electric field-induced variations are assigned to Stark effect and current flow within the device. Furthermore, two unknown defect signatures, labeled K1 and K2, are observed in the vicinity (within 2 meV) of the V2 ZPL and exhibit a strong forward bias dependence. A possible origin related to silicon vacancies perturbed by nearby carbon antisites is discussed.