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Laser-Induced Spectral Diffusion of T Centers in Silicon Nanophotonic Devices

Xueyue Zhang1,2,*, Niccolò Fiaschi1,2,3, Lukasz Komza2,4, Hanbin Song4,5, Thomas Schenkel3, and Alp Sipahigil1,2,4,†

  • *Present address: Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, USA.
  • †Contact author: alp@berkeley.edu
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PRX Quantum 6, 030351 – Published 16 September, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/x2cv-2gcw

Abstract

Color centers in silicon are emerging as spin-photon interfaces operating at telecommunication wavelengths. The nanophotonic device integration of silicon color centers via ion implantation leads to significant optical-linewidth broadening, which makes indistinguishable photon generation challenging. Here, we study the optical spectral diffusion of T centers in a silicon photonic crystal cavity. We investigate the linewidth-broadening timescales and origins by measuring the temporal correlations of the resonance frequency under different conditions. Spectral hole-burning measurements reveal no spectral broadening at short timescales from 102 ns to 725 ns. We probe broadening at longer timescales using a check pulse to herald the T-center frequency and a probe pulse to measure the frequency after a wait time. The optical resonance frequency is stable up to 3 ms in the dark. Laser pulses below the silicon band gap applied during the wait time lead to linewidth broadening. Our observations establish laser-induced processes as the dominant spectral-diffusion mechanism for T centers in devices and inform materials and feedback strategies for indistinguishable photon generation.

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Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Popular Summary

Color centers in silicon are atomic-scale defects that can act like artificial atoms, making them promising building blocks for quantum networks. Among these, the T center is particularly attractive because it can connect quantum information stored in spins to photons at telecommunication wavelengths—ideal for sending quantum signals over long distances using existing fiber-optic infrastructure. However, in nanophotonic devices, these centers often suffer from spectral diffusion, where the color of their emitted light drifts over time, making it hard to produce identical photons needed for quantum communication.

In this work, we study T centers embedded in a silicon photonic crystal cavity to understand when and why their emission frequency changes. Using two complementary measurement techniques—spectral hole burning to probe short-timescale effects and check-probe spectroscopy to track longer-timescale changes—we find that the emission frequency is stable for at least 3 ms in the absence of light. The main culprit behind spectral diffusion is not intrinsic instability but, rather, the laser light itself: even sub-band-gap illumination, far from resonantly exciting the T center, can cause nearby charges to rearrange, shifting the emission frequency.

These findings point toward new strategies for generating indistinguishable photons from T centers. For example, one can prepare a T center at a desired frequency, keep it in the dark to preserve stability, and only excite it when needed. More broadly, understanding and mitigating laser-induced spectral diffusion—possibly through materials engineering, surface passivation, or optimized device designs—will bring us closer to scalable quantum networks based on silicon photonics.

See Also

Laser-Induced Spectral Diffusion and Excited-State Mixing of Silicon T Centers

Camille Bowness, Simon A. Meynell, Michael Dobinson, Chloe Clear, Kais Jooya, Nicholas Brunelle, Mehdi Keshavarz, Katarina Boos, Melanie Gascoine, Shahrzad Taherizadegan, Christoph Simon, Mike L.W. Thewalt, Stephanie Simmons, and Daniel B. Higginbottom
PRX Quantum 6, 030350 (2025)

Article Text

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PRX Quantum 6, 030351– Published 16 September, 2025
  • Received 18 April 2025
  • Revised 13 July 2025
  • Accepted 12 August 2025
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