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Individually addressable and spectrally programmable artificial atoms in silicon photonics
Mihika Prabhu1, Carlos Errando-Herranz2,3, Lorenzo De Santis4,5
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. mihika@mit.edu.
Nature Communications
|May 15, 2023
Summary
We demonstrate G-center artificial atoms in silicon photonics for quantum technologies. This allows precise control and spectral alignment for scalable quantum information processing.
Area of Science:
- Quantum technologies
- Integrated photonics
- Artificial atoms
Background:
- Developing scalable quantum technologies requires precise control of artificial atoms with optical interfaces.
- Color centers in silicon, like the G-center, emit in the O-band and are compatible with silicon photonics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate G-center artificial atoms in a silicon-on-insulator photonic integrated circuit.
- To achieve individual addressing, spectral trimming, and stable operation of these quantum emitters.
Main Methods:
- Generation and integration of G-centers within a silicon-on-insulator photonic platform.
- Waveguide coupling for single photon emission detection.
- Optical trimming technique for spectral alignment and local deactivation.
Main Results:
- Observation of waveguide-coupled single photon emission from G-centers at 1278 nm.
- Narrow inhomogeneous spectral distribution (1.1 nm std. dev.) and a lifetime of 8.3 ± 0.7 ns.
- Successful spectral trimming up to 300 pm (55 GHz) and stable operation for over a month.
Conclusions:
- Demonstrated G-centers as viable artificial atoms for scalable quantum information processing.
- Enabled non-volatile spectral programming for alignment into telecommunication grid channels.
- Paved the way for very large-scale integrated photonics utilizing implantable quantum emitters.
