Quantum Emitters with Narrow Band and High Debye–Waller Factor in Aluminum Nitride Written by Femtosecond Laser

Solid-state quantum emitters (QEs) are central components for photonic-based quantum information processing. Recently, bright QEs in III-nitride semiconductors, such as aluminum nitride (AlN), have attracted increasing interest because of the mature commercial application of the nitrides. However, the reported QEs in AlN suffer from broad phonon side bands (PSBs) and low Debye–Waller factors. Meanwhile, there is also a need for more reliable fabrication methods of AlN QEs for integrated quantum photonics. Here, we demonstrate that laser-induced QEs in AlN exhibit robust emission with a strong zero phonon line, narrow line width, and weak PSB. The creation yield of a single QE could be more than 50%. More importantly, they have a high Debye–Waller factor (>65%) at room temperature, which is the highest result among reported AlN QEs. Our results illustrate the potential of laser writing to create high-quality QEs for quantum technologies and provide further insight into laser writing defects in relevant materials.