Paper

Electrically-triggered spin-photon devices in silicon

Afzal, Francis, Dangel, Christian, Dobinson, Michael, Bowness, Camille, Thewalt, Michael L W, Meynell, Simon A, Simmons, Stephanie, Jahed, Navid, Gascoine, Melanie, MacGilp, Iain, Hoffmann, Elianor, Chartrand, Camille, Higginbottom, Daniel B

2025

Overview

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.

• Publisher: Cornell University Library, arXiv.org
• Subject: Color centers / Control methods / Defects / Electron spin / Holes / Light sources / Optoelectronic devices / Photon emission / Photons / PIN diodes / Quantum computing / Quantum entanglement / Qubits (quantum computing) / Silicon / Speed control / Waveguides