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Measurement of Quantum Interference in a Silicon Ring Resonator Photon Source
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Photon Momentum Enabled Light Absorption in Silicon.

Sergey S Kharintsev1, Aleksey I Noskov1, Elina I Battalova1

  • 1Department of Optics and Nanophotonics, Institute of Physics, Kazan Federal University, Kazan 420008, Russia.

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Confining photons to nanoscale dimensions below 3 nm enables silicon to function as a direct bandgap semiconductor. This breakthrough enhances light absorption for advanced optoelectronic applications.

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confined photondiagonal transitionslight-matter interactionphoton momentumsemiconductors

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Quantum Optics
  • Solid-State Physics

Background:

  • Indirect bandgap semiconductors like silicon (Si) have limited optoelectronic applications due to momentum mismatch in photon-electron interactions.
  • Lattice phonons are typically required to conserve momentum during optical transitions in Si, reducing efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To introduce a novel strategy for achieving momentum-matched optical transitions in indirect semiconductors.
  • To explore the potential of confined photons to overcome momentum limitations in silicon.

Main Methods:

  • Investigating light-matter interactions at the nanoscale (below 3 nm).
  • Analyzing the momentum and energy conservation in photon-electron scattering within confined Si.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrating that photons confined below 3 nm acquire sufficient momentum for direct electronic transitions in Si.
  • Showing that confined photons enable simultaneous energy and momentum conservation, effectively transforming Si into a direct bandgap material.
  • Observing a significant increase in silicon's absorptivity from UV to near-IR.

Conclusions:

  • Confined photons offer a viable method to engineer momentum-matched optical transitions in indirect semiconductors.
  • This approach enhances silicon's suitability for optoelectronics, photovoltaics, and light-based technologies.
  • The findings open new avenues for utilizing indirect bandgap materials more efficiently.