Electrical charge state identification and control for the silicon vacancy in 4H-SiC

Reliable single-photon emission is crucial for realizing efficient spin-photon entanglement and scalable quantum information systems. The silicon vacancy ( V_Si VSi ) in 4H-SiC is a promising single-photon emitter exhibiting millisecond spin coherence times, but suffers from low photon counts, and only one charge state retains the desired spin and optical properties. Here, we demonstrate that emission from V_Si VSi defect ensembles can be enhanced by an order of magnitude via fabrication of Schottky barrier diodes, and sequentially modulated by almost $$50 %$$ 50% via application of external bias. Furthermore, we identify charge state transitions of V_Si VSi by correlating optical and electrical measurements, and realize selective population of the bright state. Finally, we reveal a pronounced Stark shift of 55 GHz for the V1′ emission line state of V_Si VSi at larger electric fields, providing a means to modify the single-photon emission. The approach presented herein paves the way towards obtaining complete control of, and drastically enhanced emission from, V_Si VSi defect ensembles in 4H-SiC highly suitable for quantum applications.