Advanced Material Design and Post-Treatment Techniques for Enhancing Color Centers in Quantum Technologies

Color centers in wide bandgap materials such as diamond, silicon carbide, or novel 2D materials like hexagonal boron nitride have recently garnered significant interest in the field of quantum technologies. These color centers are utilized in various applications, including photonics, semiconductors, and quantum technologies where they act as qubits, sensors or in quantum communication. Color centers that are significant in technology often consist of at least one impurity atom and vacancies in the crystal lattice. Methods for incorporating these color centers into the crystal lattice, the generation of vacancies, as well as post-treatments and designed dopant structures can significantly influence their inherent properties. The incorporation and properties of color centers are highly influenced by various methods, including growth processes that are specifically tailored to produce them or enhance their properties. Recent studies showed higher incorporation efficiencies by adjusted growth parameters or employing other crystal orientations. However, preserving good coherence properties is challenging. Thus, post-growth treatments can also play a crucial role in modifying the properties of color centers to enhance their functionality. Different annealing treatments are currently studied in conjunction with methods for creating vacancies in the crystal matrix.

The goal of this Research Topic is to compile and evaluate innovative methods to fabricate color centers for quantum technologies in various materials with a special focus on centers that are generated or enhanced during material synthesis, especially in the case of established materials like diamond, and possibly suitable post-treatments, i.e., without further implantation of the impurity atom. In emerging materials like hBN where the control over material synthesis is less mature, the focus is on exploring and optimizing color center creation via innovative irradiation, implantation and annealing processes.

This topic welcomes contributions that address color center fabrication for quantum technologies. Submissions may cover, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Material growth recipes and processes to produce color centers.
• Material design for influencing color center creation and properties.
• Exploration of precursors enhancing color center generation during material growth.
• Pre- and post-growth treatments to influence properties and creation of color centers.
• Characterization of color centers obtained by material synthesis.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Color Centers, Diamonds, SiC, hBN, Si, ZnO, NV, SiV, Quantum Materials, Quantum Computing, Quantum Communication, Quantum Sensing

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.