Detection of single W-centers in silicon

Abstract

Controlling the quantum properties of individual fluorescent defects in silicon is a key challenge towards advanced quantum photonic devices prone to scalability. Research efforts have so far focused on extrinsic defects based on impurities incorporated inside the silicon lattice. Here we demonstrate the detection of single intrinsic defects in silicon, which are linked to a tri-interstitial complex called W-center, with a zero-phonon line at 1.218$\mu$m. Investigating their single-photon emission properties reveals new information about this common radiation damage center, such as its dipolar orientation and its photophysics. We also identify its microscopic structure and show that although this defect does not feature electronic states in the bandgap, Coulomb interactions lead to excitonic radiative recombination below the silicon bandgap. These results could set the stage for numerous quantum perspectives based on intrinsic luminescent defects in silicon, such as quantum integrated photonics, quantum communications and quantum sensing.

References in corpus (6)

• Indistinguishable photons from separated silicon-vacancy centers in diamond
• First-principles theory of the luminescence lineshape for the triplet transition in diamond NV centre
• Electron-phonon processes of the silicon-vacancy centre in diamond
• Broad diversity of near-infrared single-photon emitters in silicon
• All-silicon light-emitting diodes waveguide-integrated with superconducting single-photon detectors
• Optical properties of an ensemble of G-centers in silicon

Cited by in corpus (24)

• Wafer-scale nanofabrication of telecom single-photon emitters in silicon
• Individually Addressable and Spectrally Programmable Artificial Atoms in Silicon Photonics
• All-silicon quantum light source by embedding an atomic emissive center in a nanophotonic cavity
• Cavity-coupled telecom atomic source in silicon
• Cavity enhanced emission from a silicon T center
• Waveguide-integrated silicon T centres
• Cavity-enhanced zero-phonon emission from an ensemble of G centers in a silicon-on-insulator microring
• Effect of Localization on Photoluminescence and Zero-Field Splitting of Silicon Color Centers
• A telecom O-band emitter in diamond
• Reinforcement Learning for Photonic Component Design
• Purcell enhancement of silicon W centers in circular Bragg grating cavities
• Efficient activation of telecom emitters in silicon upon ns pulsed laser annealing
• Genuine and faux single G centers in carbon-implanted silicon
• Bright and Purcell-enhanced single photon emission from a silicon G center
• Fabrication of quantum emitters in aluminium nitride by Al-ion implantation and thermal annealing
• Optical lineshapes of the C-center in silicon from ab initio calculations: Interplay of localized modes and bulk phonons
• Hopping of the center-of-mass of single G centers in silicon-on-insulator
• Nanoscale positioning and in-situ enhancement of single G center in silicon using a fluorescence-localization technique
• Programmable activation of quantum emitters in high-purity silicon with focused carbon ion beams
• Femtosecond laser induced creation of G and W-centers in silicon-on-insulator substrates
• Photoionization detection of a single Er${}^{3+}$ ion with sub-100-ns time resolution
• Design for telecom-wavelength quantum emitters in silicon based on alkali-metal-saturated vacancy complexes
• Single G centers in silicon fabricated by co-implantation with carbon and proton
• Radiative electronic bound states in the continuum from defects in semiconductors