Long spin coherence times in the ground state and an optically excited state of $^{167}$Er$^{3+}$:Y$_2$SiO$_5$ at zero magnetic field

Abstract

Spins in solids are an ideal candidate to act as a memory and interface with superconducting qubits due to their long coherence times. We spectroscopically investigate erbium-167-doped yttrium orthosilicate as a possible microwave-addressed memory employing its microwave frequency transitions that occur without applying an external magnetic field. We obtain coherence times of 380 $\mu$s in a ground state spin transition and 1.48 ms in an excited state spin transition. This is 28 times longer compared to previous zero field measurements, as well as 200 times longer than a previous microwave memory demonstration in the same material. These long coherence times show that erbium-167-doped yttrium orthosilicate has potential as a microwave-addressed quantum memory.