Study of W centers formation in silicon upon ion implantation and rapid thermal annealing

The recent demonstration of optically active telecom emitters in silicon has paved the way for realizing industrial-scale silicon-based solid-state quantum photonic platforms. The scientific community has been pursuing the implementation of novel single-photon devices for quantum technology applications by introducing extrinsic impurities inside the silicon lattice upon ion implantation. Here we report the optical characterization through single-photon microscopy of intrinsic W centers in high-purity silicon substrates upon carbon implantation and subsequent rapid thermal annealing. The photoluminescence investigation of their emission properties at cryogenic temperatures allowed us to identify the effects of the post-implantation thermal treatment in the formation of telecom quantum emitters based on interstitial silicon clusters upon the introduction of an extrinsic atomic species.