Spectral diffusion and indistinguishability in electrically injected silicon T centers

The integration of spin-photon interfaces into standard silicon electronics remains the elusive keystone for a scalable quantum internet. While T centers in silicon emerge as luminous candidates for this task, their spectral purity collapses when driven by the very electrical currents required for device integration. Here, we map the microscopic erosion of coherence within a functional p-i-n diode, revealing that the loss of indistinguishability stems not from thermal lattice vibrations but from a turbulent electrostatic landscape driven by high-level injection. By coupling open quantum system dynamics with the carrier transport theory, we demonstrate that stochastic charge trapping creates a fluctuating Stark shift that obscures the intrinsic phase stability of the emitter. Rather than attempting to silence this noise at its source, we propose a strategy of outpacing it. We show that embedding the defect in a nanophotonic cavity allows the radiative decay to occur faster than the environmental diffusion. This Purcell enhancement acts as a temporal shield, restoring photon indistinguishability to near-unity levels and transforming the noisy silicon diode into a robust node for quantum connectivity.

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Publication Details

Journal
Applied Physics Letters
Published
2026-04-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0323906
Primary Topic
Mechanical and Optical Resonators
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Spectral diffusion and indistinguishability in electrically injected silicon T centers

Fujun Liu
Applied Physics Letters
Mechanical and Optical Resonators
article

Spectral diffusion and indistinguishability in electrically injected silicon T centers

Fujun Liu
article en

Abstract

The integration of spin-photon interfaces into standard silicon electronics remains the elusive keystone for a scalable quantum internet. While T centers in silicon emerge as luminous candidates for this task, their spectral purity collapses when driven by the very electrical currents required for device integration. Here, we map the microscopic erosion of coherence within a functional p-i-n diode, revealing that the loss of indistinguishability stems not from thermal lattice vibrations but from a turbulent electrostatic landscape driven by high-level injection. By coupling open quantum system dynamics with the carrier transport theory, we demonstrate that stochastic charge trapping creates a fluctuating Stark shift that obscures the intrinsic phase stability of the emitter. Rather than attempting to silence this noise at its source, we propose a strategy of outpacing it. We show that embedding the defect in a nanophotonic cavity allows the radiative decay to occur faster than the environmental diffusion. This Purcell enhancement acts as a temporal shield, restoring photon indistinguishability to near-unity levels and transforming the noisy silicon diode into a robust node for quantum connectivity.

Applied Physics LettersVol. 128(16)
Changchun University of Science and Technology (CN)
Jilin Scientific and Technological Development Program
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Mechanical and Optical Resonators
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Spectral diffusion and indistinguishability in electrically injected silicon T centers — Fujun Liu · Applied Physics Letters (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS