Quantum and classical light emitters in silicon: impurities and complex defects for nanophotonics

• Applicant: Dr. Sebastien Pezzagna
• Subject Area: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics ; Optics, Quantum Optics and Physics of Atoms, Molecules and Plasmas
• Term: from 2015 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 286945677

• Final Report Year: 2024

Final Report Abstract

Silicon is the material platform of choice for electronic integrated circuits and photonic at telecom wavelength. The fabrication of G centres in silicon by ion implantation and thermal annealing was explored. The optical properties of ensembles of G-centres were assessed and deepened. An optimised procedure was established (among several experimental parameters), leading to the controlled fabrication of G centres and to a better knowledge of their creation. This enabled to prepare samples containing G centres in a broad range of densities, from large and dense ensembles down to individual G-centre emitters. The isolation of the first single quantum-emitter in silicon was demonstrated for the first time. This enabled to have access to and investigate their photo-physical properties not reachable from ensembles, but was also a very important step for the development of future devices and technology based on silicon photonics. The main good surprise in the project was the demonstration that single quantum emitters exist in silicon and that they can be created on demand. Another unexpected result is the variety of new optically-active defect centres in silicon which were discovered during the project, therefore promising future research and applications for infrared photonics and interconnections.

Publications

• Creation of Quantum Centers in Silicon using Spatial Selective Ion Implantation of high Lateral Resolution. 2018 22nd International Conference on Ion Implantation Technology (IIT), 136-139. IEEE.
  Herzig, Tobias; Räcke, Paul; Raatz, Nicole; Spemann, Daniel; Redjem, Walid; Gerlach, Jürgen W.; Meijer, Jan; Cassabois, Guillaume; Abbarchi, Marco & Pezzagna, Sébastien
  
• Optical properties of an ensemble of G-centers in silicon. Physical Review B, 97(3).
  Beaufils, C.; Redjem, W.; Rousseau, E.; Jacques, V.; Kuznetsov, A. Yu.; Raynaud, C.; Voisin, C.; Benali, A.; Herzig, T.; Pezzagna, S.; Meijer, J.; Abbarchi, M. & Cassabois, G.
  
• Single artificial atoms in silicon emitting at telecom wavelengths. Nature Electronics, 3(12), 738-743.
  Redjem, W.; Durand, A.; Herzig, T.; Benali, A.; Pezzagna, S.; Meijer, J.; Kuznetsov, A. Yu.; Nguyen, H. S.; Cueff, S.; Gérard, J.-M.; Robert-Philip, I.; Gil, B.; Caliste, D.; Pochet, P.; Abbarchi, M.; Jacques, V.; Dréau, A. & Cassabois, G.
  
• Broad Diversity of Near-Infrared Single-Photon Emitters in Silicon. Physical Review Letters, 126(8).
  Durand, A.; Baron, Y.; Redjem, W.; Herzig, T.; Benali, A.; Pezzagna, S.; Meijer, J.; Kuznetsov, A. Yu.; Gérard, J.-M.; Robert-Philip, I.; Abbarchi, M.; Jacques, V.; Cassabois, G. & Dréau, A.