Fabien Boitier

Infrared quantum counting by nondegenerate two photon conductivity in GaAs

We report on infrared quantum counting of photons at optical communication wavelengths based on nondegenerate two-photon absorption in a GaAs photomultiplier tube. The detected photon energy is lower than the GaAs band gap and the energy difference is complemented by a high intensity pump field. This detection setup is simple, compact, has a broad spectral bandwidth, and benefits from the intrinsic low noise and dark counts of large band gap semiconductor junctions.

Photon extrabunching in ultrabright twin beams measured by two-photon counting in a semiconductor

For many years twin beams originating from parametric down-converted light beams have aroused great interest and attention in the photonics community. One particular aspect of the twin beams is their peculiar intensity correlation functions, which are related to the coincidence rate of photon pairs. Here we take advantage of the huge bandwidth offered by two-photon absorption in a semiconductor to quantitatively determine correlation functions of twin beams generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. Compared with classical incoherent sources, photon extrabunching is unambiguously and precisely measured, originating from exact coincidence between down-converted pairs of photons, travelling in unison. These results strongly establish that two-photon counting in semiconductors is a powerful tool for the absolute measurement of light beam photon correlations at ultrashort timescales.

Optical terabit transmitter and receiver based on passive polymer and InP technology for high-speed optical connectivity between datacenters

We demonstrate the hybrid integration of a multi-format tunable transmitter and a coherent optical receiver based on optical polymers and InP electronics and photonics for next generation metro and core optical networks. The transmitter comprises an array of two InP Mach-Zehnder modulators (MZMs) with 42 GHz bandwidth and two passive PolyBoards at the back- and front-end of the device. The back-end PolyBoard integrates an InP gain chip, a Bragg grating and a phase section on the polymer substrate capable of 22 nm wavelength tunability inside the C-band and optical waveguides that guide the light to the inputs of the two InP MZMs. The front-end PolyBoard provides the optical waveguides for combing the In-phase and Quadrature-phase modulated signals via an integrated thermo-optic phase shifter for applying the pi/2 phase-shift at the lower arm and a 3-dB optical coupler at the output. Two InP-double heterojunction bipolar transistor (InP-DHBT) 3-bit power digital-to-analog converters (DACs) are hybridly integrated at either side of the MZM array chip in order to drive the IQ transmitter with QPSK, 16-QAM and 64-QAM encoded signals. The coherent receiver is based on the other side on a PolyBoard, which integrates an InP gain chip and a monolithic Bragg grating for the formation of the local oscillator laser, and a monolithic 90° optical hybrid. This PolyBoard is further integrated with a 4-fold InP photodiode array chip with more than 80 GHz bandwidth and two high-speed InP-DHBT transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) with automatic gain control. The transmitter and the receiver have been experimentally evaluated at 25Gbaud over 100 km for mQAM modulation showing bit-error-rate (BER) performance performance below FEC limit.

Measuring photon bunching at ultrashort timescale by two-photon absorption in semiconductors

Photon bunching in highly chaotic sources (true blackbody and amplified spontaneous emission) is detected for the first time with femtosecond temporal resolution by use of a Hanbury-Brown-Twiss experiment relying on two-photon absorption in semiconductors.

Photon extrabunching in twin beams in the femtosecond range measured by two-photon counting in a semiconductor

Correlations of twin beams generated by parametric down-conversion are quantitatively determined by two-photon counting interferometery. Compared with incoherent light, photon extrabunching at the fs scale is unambiguously and precisely measured.

Two-photon conductivity in semiconductors: a new tool for the study of the quantum properties of light

Two-photon absorption in GaAs occurs once two photon impinge on the semiconductor surface within the virtual state lifetime, i.e. few fs. Two photon conductivity (TPC) in GaAs is thus particulary well fitted to measure photon coincidence rates in the femtosecond range. Using this new TPC technique we have evidenced various original quantum properties of light, such as photon bunching in thermal light and extrabunching of twin beams. This technique opens new avenues in quantum optics, for quantum cryptography, ghost imaging or non linear optics.

Photon detection by non degenerate two photon absorption in GaAs: A quantum “leg up” effect

Detection at optical communication wavelength is achieved, for the first time, in GaAs phototube by non degenerate two-photon absorption. Signal photon is supported by a pump field, producing a quantum “leg up” effect.

Photon Quantum Correlation Measurement by Two Photon Absorption in Semi-Conductors: Do Blackbody Photons Effectively Bunch?

We show that photon quantum correlations can be measured by two photon absorption in semiconductors. Hanbury-Brown Twiss experiments can thus be performed with genuine blackbodies with a time resolution in the femtosecond range.