Point defects in silicon carbide as a promising basis for spectroscopy of single defects with controllable quantum states at room temperature

The spin and optical properties of silicon vacancy defects in silicon carbide of the hexagonal $6H$ polytype have been investigated using photoluminescence, electron paramagnetic resonance, and $X$-band optically detected magnetic resonance. It has been shown that different configurations of these defects can be used to create an optical alignment of their spin sublevels as in the case of low temperatures and at temperatures close to room temperature ($T$ = 293 K). The main specific feature of silicon vacancy centers in silicon carbide is that the zero-magnetic-field-splitting parameter of some centers remains constant with variations in the temperature, which indicates prospects for the use of these centers for quantum magnetometry. It has also been shown that a number of centers, on the contrary, are characterized by a strong dependence of the zero-magnetic-field-splitting parameter on the temperature, which indicates prospects for the use of these centers as temperature sensors.