Single-photon emitters and spin–photon interfaces in silicon

Abstract

Single photons enable the distribution of quantum information over large distances and thus play a major role in quantum technologies such as communication and computing. Solid-state emitters are practical and efficient sources of single photons that can be manufactured in large numbers. When combined with a spin, the resulting spin–photon interfaces can store quantum states for extended periods and serve as the basis for quantum networks and repeaters. Among the many host materials explored over the past few decades, silicon stands out for its advanced nanofabrication, the maturity of its integrated photonics and microelectronics, and its high isotopic purity, which leads to exceptionally long spin coherence. These properties position silicon single-photon emitters and spin–photon interfaces among the most promising hardware platforms for implementing quantum networks and distributed quantum information processors. This review summarizes the current state of the art and open challenges toward coherent single-photon sources and scalable spin–photon interfaces based on color centers and erbium dopants in nanophotonic silicon structures.