arXiv · 2501.10597
Electrically-triggered spin-photon devices in silicon
Abstract
Quantum networking and computing technologies demand scalable hardware with high-speed control for large systems of quantum devices. Solid-state platforms have emerged as promising candidates, offering scalable fabrication for a wide range of qubits. Architectures based on spin-photon interfaces allow for highly-connected quantum networks over photonic links, enabling entanglement distribution for quantum networking and distributed quantum computing protocols. With the potential to address these demands, optically-active spin defects in silicon are one proposed platform for building quantum technologies. Here, we electrically excite the silicon T centre in integrated optoelectronic devices that combine nanophotonic waveguides and cavities with p-i-n diodes. We observe single-photon electroluminescence from a cavity-coupled T centre with $g^{(2)}(0)=0.05(2)$. Further, we use the electrically-triggered emission to herald the electron spin state, initializing it with $92(8)\%$ fidelity. This shows, for the first time, electrically-injected single-photon emission from a silicon colour centre and a new method of electrically-triggered spin initialization. These findings present a new telecommunications band light source for silicon and a highly parallel control method for T centre quantum processors, advancing the T centre as a versatile defect for scalable quantum technologies.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Explore connections, maps & timelines
Michael Dobinson, Camille Bowness, Simon A. Meynell, Camille Chartrand, Elianor Hoffmann, Melanie Gascoine, Iain MacGilp, Francis Afzal, Christian Dangel, Navid Jahed, Michael L. W. Thewalt, Stephanie Simmons, Daniel B. Higginbottom. 2025-01-17. Electrically-triggered spin-photon devices in silicon. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-025-01752-8
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.