Frequency tunable, cavity-enhanced single erbium quantum emitter in the telecom band

Abstract: Single quantum emitters embedded in solid-state hosts are an ideal platform for realizing quantum information processors and quantum network nodes. Among the currently-investigated candidates, Er$^{3+}$ ions are particularly appealing due to their 1.5 $\mu$m optical transition in the telecom band as well as their long spin coherence times. However, the long lifetimes of the excited state -- generally in excess of 1 ms -- along with the inhomogeneous broadening of the optical transition result in significant challenges. Photon emission rates are prohibitively small, and different emitters generally create photons with distinct spectra, thereby preventing multi-photon interference -- a requirement for building large-scale, multi-node quantum networks. Here we solve this challenge by demonstrating for the first time linear Stark tuning of the emission frequency of a single Er$^{3+}$ ion. Our ions are embedded in a lithium niobate crystal and couple evanescently to a silicon nano-photonic crystal cavity that provides an up to 143 increase of the measured decay rate. By applying an electric field along the crystal c-axis, we achieve a Stark tuning greater than the ion's linewidth without changing the single-photon emission statistics of the ion. These results are a key step towards rare earth ion-based quantum networks.