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Completed TRL 2 (started at 2, targeting 3)
Defect-based single-photon emitters (SPEs) have a significant advantage in quantum sensing and quantum communications because of their robustness to non-ideal environments and atomic-size footprint. This proposal investigates the origins of point defects in wide bandgap semiconductors as well as their interactions with the host crystal. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy is the standard technique for characterizing SPEs but may not capture local lattice effects like strain or vibrational modes that can influence the emission. This proposal uses infrared nano-optic probes to characterize the local vibrational properties that arise from defect SPEs, and spatially correlate with their PL spectral signatures. Scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) and nanoscale Fourier transform infrared (nano-FTIR) spectroscopy—with full spectral coverage between 5-15 μm and < 20 nm spatial resolution—can examine the behavior of materials beyond their bulk properties and provide vital information for the development of quantum devices. Exciting SPEs with either an ultraviolet (390 nm) or near-infrared (1560 nm) ultrafast pump laser creates a non- equilibrium environment that can be probed with ultrafast nano-FTIR (< 200 fs) and reveal local lattice dynamics and interactions. The outcome of this work will create an efficient, non-destructive method for identifying defect SPEs and uncover information about the local influence of lattice vibrations, which have been theorized as a possible means of deterministic entanglement, an essential component for quantum technologies.
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