Marcelo I. Davanco

Telecommunications-band heralded single photons from a silicon nanophotonic chip

A highly nonlinear (γ≈3700/W·m) silicon coupled-resonator-optical-waveguide generated heralded single photons (g⁽²⁾ (0) ≤ 0.19 ±0.03) and widely-spaced photon pairs with coincidences-to-accidentals ratio >;10 (cw) and >;23 (pulsed), and outperformed a 54× longer silicon nanophotonic waveguide.

Optomechanical transduction of an integrated silicon cantilever probe using a microdisk resonator

Sensitive transduction of the motion of a microscale cantilever is central to many applications in mass, force, magnetic resonance, and displacement sensing. Reducing cantilever size to nanoscale dimensions can improve the bandwidth and sensitivity of techniques like atomic force microscopy, but current optical transduction methods suffer when the cantilever is small compared to the achievable spot size. Here, we demonstrate sensitive optical transduction in a monolithic cavity-optomechanical system in which a subpicogram silicon cantilever with a sharp probe tip is separated from a microdisk optical resonator by a nanoscale gap. High quality factor (Q ≈ 10(5)) microdisk optical modes transduce the cantilevers megahertz frequency thermally driven vibrations with a displacement sensitivity of ≈4.4 × 10(-16) m/(Hz)(1/2) and bandwidth >1 GHz, and a dynamic range >10(6) is estimated for a 1 s measurement. Optically induced stiffening due to the strong optomechanical interaction is observed, and engineering of probe dynamics through cantilever design and electrostatic actuation is illustrated.

Nanoscale optical positioning of single quantum dots for bright and pure single-photon emission

Self-assembled, epitaxially grown InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) are promising semiconductor quantum emitters that can be integrated on a chip for a variety of photonic quantum information science applications. However, self-assembled growth results in an essentially random in-plane spatial distribution of QDs, presenting a challenge in creating devices that exploit the strong interaction of single QDs with highly confined optical modes. Here, we present a photoluminescence imaging approach for locating single QDs with respect to alignment features with an average position uncertainty <30 nm (<10 nm when using a solid-immersion lens), which represents an enabling technology for the creation of optimized single QD devices. To that end, we create QD single-photon sources, based on a circular Bragg grating geometry, that simultaneously exhibit high collection efficiency (48%±5% into a 0.4 numerical aperture lens, close to the theoretically predicted value of 50%), low multiphoton probability (g(2)(0) <1%), and a significant Purcell enhancement factor (≈3).

Electromagnetically induced transparency and wideband wavelength conversion in silicon nitride microdisk optomechanical resonators.

We demonstrate optomechanically mediated electromagnetically induced transparency and wavelength conversion in silicon nitride (Si3N4) microdisk resonators. Fabricated devices support whispering gallery optical modes with a quality factor (Q) of 10(6), and radial breathing mechanical modes with a Q=10(4) and a resonance frequency of 625 MHz, so that the system is in the resolved sideband regime. Placing a strong optical control field on the red (blue) detuned sideband of the optical mode produces coherent interference with a resonant probe beam, inducing a transparency (absorption) window for the probe. This is observed for multiple optical modes of the device, all of which couple to the same mechanical mode, and which can be widely separated in wavelength due to the large band gap of Si3N4. These properties are exploited to demonstrate frequency up-conversion and down-conversion of optical signals between the 1300 and 980 nm bands with a frequency span of 69.4 THz.

Coherent coupling between radiofrequency, optical and acoustic waves in piezo-optomechanical circuits

Optomechanical cavities have been studied for applications ranging from sensing to quantum information science. Here, we develop a platform for nanoscale cavity optomechanical circuits in which optomechanical cavities supporting co-localized 1550 nm photons and 2.4 GHz phonons are combined with photonic and phononic waveguides. Working in GaAs facilitates manipulation of the localized mechanical mode either with a radio frequency (RF) field through the piezo-electric effect, which produces acoustic waves that are routed and coupled to the optomechanical cavity by phononic crystal waveguides, or optically through the strong photoelastic effect. Along with mechanical state preparation and sensitive readout, we use this to demonstrate an acoustic wave interference effect, similar to atomic coherent population trapping, in which RF-driven coherent mechanical motion is cancelled by optically-driven motion. Manipulating cavity optomechanical systems with equal facility through both photonic and phononic channels enables new architectures for signal transduction between the optical, electrical, and mechanical domains.

Efficient and low-noise single-photon-level frequency conversion interfaces using silicon nanophotonics

Ultralow-noise frequency conversion within the 980-nm band and between the 980-nm and 1,550-nm bands occurs through Bragg scattering in Si3N4 microring resonators. The maximum conversion efficiencies are 25% and 60%, respectively.

Efficient quantum dot single photon extraction into an optical fiber using a nanophotonic directional coupler

We demonstrate a spectrally broadband and efficient technique for collecting emission from a single InAs quantum dot directly into a standard single mode optical fiber. In this approach, an optical fiber taper waveguide is placed in contact with a suspended GaAs nanophotonic waveguide with embedded quantum dots, forming a broadband directional coupler with standard optical fiber input and output. Efficient photoluminescence collection over a wavelength range of tens of nanometers is demonstrated, and a maximum collection efficiency of 6% (corresponding single photon rate of 3.0 MHz) into a single mode optical fiber is estimated for a single quantum dot exciton.

Simultaneous Wavelength Translation and Amplitude Modulation of Single Photons from a Quantum Dot

Hybrid quantum information devices that combine disparate physical systems interacting through photons offer the promise of combining low-loss telecommunications wavelength transmission with high fidelity visible wavelength storage and manipulation. The realization of such systems requires control over the waveform of single photons to achieve spectral and temporal matching. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the simultaneous wavelength translation and amplitude modulation of single photons generated by a quantum dot emitting near 1300 nm with an exponentially decaying waveform (lifetime ≈1.5 ns). Quasi-phase-matched sum-frequency generation with a pulsed 1550 nm laser creates single photons at 710 nm with a controlled amplitude modulation at 350 ps time scales.

Low-noise chip-based frequency conversion by four-wave-mixing Bragg scattering in SiN x waveguides

Low-noise, tunable wavelength-conversion through nondegenerate four-wave mixing Bragg scattering in SiN(x) waveguides is experimentally demonstrated. Finite element method simulations of waveguide dispersion are used with the split-step Fourier method to predict device performance. Two 1550 nm wavelength band pulsed pumps are used to achieve tunable conversion of a 980 nm signal over a range of 5 nm with a peak conversion efficiency of ≈5%. The demonstrated Bragg scattering process is suitable for frequency conversion of quantum states of light.

A circular dielectric grating for vertical extraction of single quantum dot emission

We demonstrate a nanostructure composed of partially etched annular trenches in a suspended GaAs membrane, designed for efficient and moderately broadband (≈5 nm) emission extraction from single InAs quantum dots. Simulations indicate that a dipole embedded in the nanostructure center radiates upward into free space with a nearly Gaussian far field, allowing a collection efficiency >80% with a high numerical aperture (NA = 0.7) optic and with ≈12× Purcell radiative rate enhancement. Fabricated devices exhibit a ≈10% photon collection efficiency with a NA = 0.42 objective, a 20× improvement over quantum dots in unpatterned GaAs. A fourfold exciton lifetime reduction indicates moderate Purcell enhancement.