Room temperature optically detected magnetic resonance of single spins in GaN

High contrast optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) is a valuable property for reading out the spin of isolated defect color centers at room temperature. Spin-active single defect centers have been studied in wide bandgap materials including diamond, SiC, and hBN; each with associated advantages for applications. We report the discovery of ODMR in two distinct species of bright, isolated defect centers hosted in GaN. In one group, we find negative ODMR of a few percent associated with a metastable electronic state, whereas in the other, we find positive ODMR of up to 30% associated with the ground and optically excited electronic states. We examine the spin symmetry axis of each defect species and we establish coherent control over a single defect’s ground-state spin. Given the maturity of the semiconductor host, these results are promising for scalable and integrated quantum sensing applications.