Researchers from University of Chicago, the University of Stuttgart, in Germany, and Linköping University, in Sweden, demonstrated the relative advantages that various quantum spintronics systems offer for developing new technologies. They especially focused their analysis on how semiconductors made of silicon carbide can serve as a highly flexible quantum technological platform. This material already is used for manufacturing power electronics, hybrid vehicles, and solid-state lighting.
Surprisingly, the scientists team describes how this everyday material can trap single electron spins to create the next generation of scalable quantum technologies.
They have showed the ability to create and electrically control individual quantum states in commercial silicon carbide wafers that maintain quantum coherence for many milliseconds, which ranks among the best quantum coherence times attained by any existing semiconductor.
Another important advance in the application of silicon carbide to quantum communications is the integration of quantum bits with photons, to transfer quantum information from matter to light, and then back to matter once again. This is really important for the construction of a long-range quantum network and the so-called Quantum Internet.
The team has additionally shown that silicon carbide has built-in quantum memories that consist of the quantum states of the atomic nuclei of the crystal.
The paper coincides with an increasing industrial interest in using various types of quantum states to build prototype technologies for new types of sensing, communication, and computing. (SciDaily)
The article has been published in Applied Physics Letters.