Site control of quantum emitters in gallium nitride by polarity

Abstract

Gallium nitride (GaN) is a promising platform for integrated nanophotonic circuitry due to highly versatile growth protocols for the material. With the discovery of quantum emitters hosted by its lattice, potential applications of GaN have expanded to quantum-based technologies, despite the fact that the atomic structures of the emitters are unknown. Thus, we investigate the nature of quantum emitters grown in various samples of differing growth orientations - namely, Ga-polar, N-polar, and a combination of the two in an alternating periodic pattern. We showcase the unique growth technique used to fabricate these samples and characterize the emitters that form as a result. Through measurements of photoluminescence, cathodoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy, we observe consistent formation of quantum emitters within Ga-polar regions of the grown GaN, attributed to overall defectivity caused by the specific growth procedure used to synthesize Ga-polar GaN. Our findings shed light onto the origins of the quantum emitters and are used to demonstrate site-selective formation of the emitters in GaN.