DNA origami directed integration of colloidal nanophotonic materials with silicon photonics

Deterministic incorporation of colloidal quantum emitters into silicon-based photonic devices would enable major advances in quantum optics and nanophotonics. However, precisely positioning sub-10 nm particles onto micron-sized photonic structures with nanometer-scale accuracy remains an outstanding challenge. Here, we introduce Cavity-Shape Modulated Origami Placement (CSMOP) that leverages the shape programmability of DNA origami to selectively deposit colloidal nanomaterials within lithographically defined resist cavities patterned onto arbitrary photonic devices with high yield and orientation control. Soft-silicification-passivation stabilizes the deposited origami, while preserving their spatially programmable DNA hybridization sites, which enable site-specific attachment of plasmonic gold nanorods (AuNRs) and semiconductor quantum rods (QRs). This offers control over light scattering and emission polarization, respectively, with deterministic integration of individual QRs within silicon nitride waveguides, micro-ring resonators, and bullseye cavities. CSMOP thereby offers a general platform for the integration of colloidal nanomaterials into photonic circuits, with broad potential to empower quantum information science and technology.