Enhancing the brightness of electrically driven single-photon sources using color centers in silicon carbide

• Published in: npj quantum information Vol. 4; no. 1; pp. 1 - 8
• Main Authors: Khramtsov, Igor A., Vyshnevyy, Andrey A., Fedyanin, Dmitry Yu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 21.02.2018; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 639/166/987; 639/624/1075/401; 639/766/119/1000; 639/766/483/3925; 639/766/483/640; Classical and Quantum Gravitation; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Point defects; Quantum Computing; Quantum dots; Quantum Field Theories; Quantum Information Technology; Quantum Physics; Relativity Theory; Silicon; Silicon carbide; Spintronics; String Theory
• ISSN: 2056-6387; 2056-6387
• DOI: 10.1038/s41534-018-0066-2

Practical applications of quantum information technologies exploiting the quantum nature of light require efficient and bright true single-photon sources which operate under ambient conditions. Currently, point defects in the crystal lattice of diamond known as color centers have taken the lead in the race for the most promising quantum system for practical non-classical light sources. This work is focused on a different quantum optoelectronic material, namely a color center in silicon carbide, and reveals the physics behind the process of single-photon emission from color centers in SiC under electrical pumping. We show that color centers in silicon carbide can be far superior to any other quantum light emitter under electrical control at room temperature. Using a comprehensive theoretical approach and rigorous numerical simulations, we demonstrate that at room temperature, the photon emission rate from a p–i–n silicon carbide single-photon emitting diode can exceed 5 Gcounts/s, which is higher than what can be achieved with electrically driven color centers in diamond or epitaxial quantum dots. These findings lay the foundation for the development of practical photonic quantum devices which can be produced in a well-developed CMOS compatible process flow. Quantum emitters: A brighter future for silicon carbide Theoretical simulations show how to improve the performance of silicon carbide single-photon sources by a factor of ten thousand. Atomic-scale defects in silicon carbide can be used to generate single photons, which are an important resource for quantum communication protocols. Dmitry Fedyanin and co-workers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have developed a numerical model of silicon carbide single-photon emitting diodes. Their calculations accurately reproduced experimental observations on an existing device and allowed them to identify the important factors influencing performance. Based on this knowledge, the authors suggest a new design that should increase the diode brightness by four orders of magnitude. Combined with silicon carbide’s compatibility with existing silicon electronics processes, this makes it a highly competitive candidate for realising a practically useful room temperature, electrically-driven single-photon emitter.