Nature Communications· 2026Q1
Bright and pure single-photon source in silicon by nanoscale positioning of a color center in a microcavity
- 8citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Researchers created an all-silicon single-photon source at 1217 nm, achieving a saturated photon count rate of 1.29 × 10^6 counts/s and 93% purity under pulsed excitation.
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Key points
- Developed an all-silicon single-photon source at 1217 nm using a W color center in a microcavity.
- Achieved a saturated photon count rate of 1.29 × 10^6 counts/s under continuous-wave excitation.
- Demonstrated pronounced photon antibunching with g(2)(0) = 0.06 ± 0.02.
- Obtained single photons with 93 ± 2% purity under weak pulsed excitation.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract Silicon is a leading material platform for photonic quantum technologies. However, a key challenge remains the efficient integration of high-performance single-photon sources in the near infrared. Here we present an all-silicon single-photon source at 1217 nm wavelength, fabricated by nanoscale positioning of a single W center in a circular Bragg grating cavity. The operation wavelength corresponds to the W center’s zero-phonon line that is enhanced by the cavity. Under above-gap continuous-wave excitation, we obtain a saturated photon count rate of 1.29 × 10 6 counts/s with pronounced photon antibunching ( g (2) (0) = 0.06 ± 0.02). Triggered operation under weak pulsed excitation produces single photons with 93 ± 2% purity. At saturation, we reveal purity degradation due to repumping processes, that could be mitigated using selective excitation schemes in the future. These results represent a major step towards on-demand sources of indistinguishable single photons in silicon photonics.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Nature Communications, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Electrical and Electronic EngineeringEngineering