Dual epitaxial telecom spin-photon interfaces with long-lived coherence

Optically active solid-state spin qubits thrive as an appealing technology for quantum interconnects and quantum networks, thanks to their atomic size, scalable synthesis, long-lived coherence, and ability to coherently interface with flying qubits. Trivalent erbium dopants, in particular, emerge as an attractive candidate due to their emission in the telecom C band and shielded 4f intra-shell spin and optical transitions. Nevertheless, prevailing top-down architectures for rare-earth qubits and devices have not yet achieved simultaneous long optical and spin coherence, which is necessary for efficient long-distance quantum networks. Here, we demonstrate dual Er<sup>3+</sup> telecom spin-photon interfaces in two distinct lattice symmetry sites within an epitaxial thin-film platform. By leveraging high matrix crystallinity, controlled proximity of dopants to surfaces, and exploiting host lattice symmetry, we simultaneously achieve kilohertz-level optical linewidth in a strongly symmetry-protected site, and erbium qubit spin coherence times exceeding 10 milliseconds. Additionally, we realize single-shot readout and microwave coherent control of erbium qubits in a fiber-integrated package, enabling rapid deployment and scalability. These advancements highlight the significant potential of high-quality rare-earth qubits and quantum memories assembled using a bottom-up method, paving the way for scalable development of quantum light-matter interfaces tailored for telecommunication quantum networks.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2025-11-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64780-6
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Quantum optics and atomic interactions
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.25

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article

Dual epitaxial telecom spin-photon interfaces with long-lived coherence

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1 citations
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Quantum optics and atomic interactions
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article

Dual epitaxial telecom spin-photon interfaces with long-lived coherence

Richard J. Warburton, Natasha Tomm, Tian Zhong, Yuxiang Pei, Shuolong Yang, Shobhit Gupta, Shihan Liu, Qiang Gao, Yizhong Huang
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Optically active solid-state spin qubits thrive as an appealing technology for quantum interconnects and quantum networks, thanks to their atomic size, scalable synthesis, long-lived coherence, and ability to coherently interface with flying qubits. Trivalent erbium dopants, in particular, emerge as an attractive candidate due to their emission in the telecom C band and shielded 4f intra-shell spin and optical transitions. Nevertheless, prevailing top-down architectures for rare-earth qubits and devices have not yet achieved simultaneous long optical and spin coherence, which is necessary for efficient long-distance quantum networks. Here, we demonstrate dual Er<sup>3+</sup> telecom spin-photon interfaces in two distinct lattice symmetry sites within an epitaxial thin-film platform. By leveraging high matrix crystallinity, controlled proximity of dopants to surfaces, and exploiting host lattice symmetry, we simultaneously achieve kilohertz-level optical linewidth in a strongly symmetry-protected site, and erbium qubit spin coherence times exceeding 10 milliseconds. Additionally, we realize single-shot readout and microwave coherent control of erbium qubits in a fiber-integrated package, enabling rapid deployment and scalability. These advancements highlight the significant potential of high-quality rare-earth qubits and quantum memories assembled using a bottom-up method, paving the way for scalable development of quantum light-matter interfaces tailored for telecommunication quantum networks.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 16(1)
University of Basel (CH), University of Chicago (US)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, National Center of Competence in Research Quantum Science and Technology, Office of Naval Research, Division of Materials Research, Army Research Office, Argonne National Laboratory
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Quantum optics and atomic interactions
1.25
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