Alexander Senichev
Department of Physics
UMBC
1pm-2pm
Friday, October 23, 2026
Remotely via WebEx: https://umbc.webex.com/meet/sherman
Abstract:
Photons can carry quantum information between distant nodes, providing optical links for quantum communication and a future quantum internet. Solid-state single-photon sources can support quantum key distribution for secure key establishment, while emitters with suitable spin-photon interfaces could enable entanglement between remote quantum memories. Developing these components requires control over light generation and its coupling into optical channels. My research focuses on engineering quantum emitters and their photonic environments in materials compatible with semiconductor manufacturing.
I will present our work on single-photon emitters in silicon nitride and aluminum nitride, focusing on their formation, optical characterization, and integration with photonic structures. This includes the discovery of room-temperature single-photon emitters in silicon nitride [1], coupling their emission into silicon nitride waveguides [2], and evaluating their suitability for polarization-encoded quantum key distribution [3]. I will discuss how materials processing influences emitter formation and optical properties, open questions surrounding their microscopic identities, and research directions at UMBC focused on understanding and controlling solid-state quantum emitters for quantum photonic applications.
Selected References
[1] A. Senichev et al., “Room-temperature single-photon emitters in silicon nitride,” Science Advances 7, eabj0627 (2021).
[2] A. Senichev et al., “Silicon Nitride Waveguides with Intrinsic Single-Photon Emitters for Integrated Quantum Photonics,” ACS Photonics 9, 3357–3365 (2022).
[3] A. Senichev et al., “Single-Photon Source in Silicon Nitride Photonics for Quantum Key Distribution,” Frontiers in Optics + Laser Science 2024, paper LW6F.4 (2024).
About the Speaker:
Dr. Alexander Senichev (senichev@umbc.edu) is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). He joined UMBC in January 2026 and leads the Quantum Light Sources and Nanophotonics Group. He earned his B.S. and M.S. in Physics from Saint Petersburg State University, Russia, and completed his Ph.D. research at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Germany, receiving his doctorate with distinction in 2016. From 2017 to 2020, he was a postdoctoral researcher in Purdue University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, studying III-nitride materials for infrared optoelectronic devices. He subsequently worked in Purdue’s Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering on solid-state quantum emitters and integrated quantum photonics. His research focuses on the formation and optical properties of defects in solids and their interactions with photonic structures, with applications in quantum communication and information processing.
URL: senichevlab.umbc.edu
Host:
Alan T. Sherman, sherman@umbc.edu
Support for this event was provided in part by the National Science Foundation under SFS grant DGE-1753681.
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