A photonic platform for donor spin qubits in silicon

Area of Science:

• Quantum computing
• Solid-state physics
• Photonics

Background:

• Donor spins in silicon are leading candidates for quantum bits (qubits) due to their long coherence times and compatibility with semiconductor manufacturing.
• Current challenges include establishing reliable methods for coupling spatially separated donor qubits, which is crucial for scaling quantum processors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a scalable silicon-based platform for quantum information processing.
• To leverage the optical properties of "deep" chalcogen donors for robust qubit coupling and spin-to-photon conversion.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing "deep" chalcogen donors, specifically the 77Se+ donor, in a silicon-based platform.
• Measuring the transition dipole moment and excited-state lifetime of the 77Se+ donor.
• Integrating the donor system with silicon photonic resonator technology.

Main Results:

• Established lower bounds for the transition dipole moment and excited-state lifetime of the 77Se+ donor.
• Demonstrated the potential to reach the strong coupling limit in cavity quantum electrodynamics.
• Observed relatively strong photon emission from the 77Se+ donor transition.

Conclusions:

• The developed silicon platform offers a viable route for scalable quantum computing.
• The results pave the way for efficient spin-to-photon conversion, photonic quantum memories, and integrated single-photon sources.
• This work advances the development of all-optical switches and silicon-based quantum technologies.