Quantum computers could revolutionize our relationship with computers in the near future. However, in order to enable novel applications of quantum technology, integrated circuits are needed that can effectively control photonic quantum states - the so-called qubits.
Physicists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), TU Dresden and the Leibniz Institute for Crystal Growth (IKZ) have now achieved a breakthrough: They have demonstrated the controlled generation of single-photon emitters in silicon on the nanoscale for the first time.
Using focused ion beams from liquid metal alloy ion sources, they were able to place single photon emitters at desired positions on the wafer. Alternatively, the ions can be introduced in commercially available implanters over a large area through a lithographically defined mask.
