  High precision placement and integration of color centers in a silicon-based
nanosystem, such as a nanowire (NW) array, exhibiting high integration
functionality and high photoluminescence (PL) yield can serve as a critical
building block towards the practical realization of devices in the emerging
field of quantum technologies. Herein, we report on an innovative synthesis
route for realizing ultrathin silicon carbide (SiC) NW arrays doped with and
without oxygen (SiC:Ox), and also erbium (Er). The arrays of the
deterministically positioned NWs are grown in a self-aligned manner through
chemical-vapor-deposition (CVD). A key enabler of this synthesis route is that
SiC:Ox NW photonic crystal (PC) nanostructures are engineered with tailored
geometry in precise locations during nanofabrication. These ultrathin NW PC
structures not only facilitate the on-demand positioning of Er3+ ions but are
pivotal in engineering the emission properties of these color centers. Through
a combinational and systematic micro-PL (uPL) and power-dependence PL (PDPL)
spectroscopy, PC architecture geometry effects on Er3+-related 1538 nm
emission, which is the telecommunication wavelength used in optical fibers,
were studied. Approximately 60-fold and 30-fold enhancements for, respectively,
the room-temperature Er3+ PL emission and lifetime in the NW PC sample were
observed compared to its thin-film analog. Furthermore, the 1538 nm emission in
SiC:Ox NW PC was found to be modulated linearly with the PC lattice periodicity
of the structure. The observed characteristics reveal the efficient
Er3+-emission extraction from the technologically-friendly SiC:Ox NW PC
structures.
