Sustainability cost of defect engineering in color centers for quantum communications
Abstract
Quantum communication relies on optically active color centers for scalable spin-photon networking, yet the sustainability implications of defect engineering remain largely unexplored. We comparatively evaluate twenty host crystal-defect generation combinations across diamond, SiC, h-BN, GaN, ZnO using ion implantation, e-beam irradiation, laser writing, and heteroepitaxial growth techniques. A multi-attribute cradle-to-gate framework integrating life cycle, chemical hazard, human health toxicity, and technoeconomic assessments reveals distinct thermodynamic, chemical, health, and economic tradeoffs emerge across defect engineering pathways. h-BN paired with laser writing shows the lowest overall burdens, with low energy demand, global warming potential <20 kg CO₂ eq./chip, minimal hazard/toxicity profiles, and lowest fabrication cost. SiC provides a balanced near-term pathway by retaining strong quantum functionality while moderating sustainability burdens. ZnO and GaN show selective process-level advantages for integrated photonics, whereas diamond remains burden-intensive due to energy-demanding growth and complex post-defect stabilization requirements. Identified greener interventions enable scalable and resource-conscious quantum communication hardware.
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BibTeX
@article{shata2026sustainability,
title = {{Sustainability cost of defect engineering in color centers for quantum communications}},
author = {Sahar Shata and Julie M. Schoenung},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-78261-x},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78261-x},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Sustainability cost of defect engineering in color centers for quantum communications
AU - Sahar Shata
AU - Julie M. Schoenung
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/03
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-78261-x
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78261-x
AB - Quantum communication relies on optically active color centers for scalable spin-photon networking, yet the sustainability implications of defect engineering remain largely unexplored. We comparatively evaluate twenty host crystal-defect generation combinations across diamond, SiC, h-BN, GaN, ZnO using ion implantation, e-beam irradiation, laser writing, and heteroepitaxial growth techniques. A multi-attribute cradle-to-gate framework integrating life cycle, chemical hazard, human health toxicity, and technoeconomic assessments reveals distinct thermodynamic, chemical, health, and economic tradeoffs emerge across defect engineering pathways. h-BN paired with laser writing shows the lowest overall burdens, with low energy demand, global warming potential <20 kg CO₂ eq./chip, minimal hazard/toxicity profiles, and lowest fabrication cost. SiC provides a balanced near-term pathway by retaining strong quantum functionality while moderating sustainability burdens. ZnO and GaN show selective process-level advantages for integrated photonics, whereas diamond remains burden-intensive due to energy-demanding growth and complex post-defect stabilization requirements. Identified greener interventions enable scalable and resource-conscious quantum communication hardware.
SN - 2041-1723
ER -