Yunpeng Zhu

Nanoscale and Single-Dot Patterning of Colloidal Quantum Dots.

Using an optimized lift-off process we develop a technique for both nanoscale and single-dot patterning of colloidal quantum dot films, demonstrating feature sizes down to ~30 nm for uniform films and a yield of 40% for single-dot positioning, which is in good agreement with a newly developed theoretical model. While first of all presenting a unique tool for studying physics of single quantum dots, the process also provides a pathway toward practical quantum dot-based optoelectronic devices.

Low-loss silicon nitride waveguide hybridly integrated with colloidal quantum dots

Silicon nitride waveguides with a monolayer of colloidal quantum dots embedded inside were fabricated using a low-temperature deposition process and an optimized dry etching step for the composite layers. We experimentally demonstrated the luminescence of the embedded quantum dots is preserved and the loss of these hybrid waveguide wires is as low as 2.69dB/cm at 900nm wavelength. This hybrid integration of low loss silicon nitride photonics with active emitters offers opportunities for optical sources operating over a very broad wavelength range.

On‐Chip Integrated Quantum‐Dot–Silicon‐Nitride Microdisk Lasers

Hybrid silicon nitride (SiN)-quantum-dot (QD) microlasers coupled to a passive SiN output waveguide with a 7 µm diameter and a record-low threshold density of 27 µJ cm-2 are demonstrated. A new design and processing scheme offers long-term stability and facilitates in-depth QD material and device characterization, thereby opening new paths for optical communication, sensing, and on-chip cavity quantum optics based on colloidal QDs.

Fabrication and characterization of on-chip silicon nitride microdisk integrated with colloidal quantum dots.

We designed and fabricated free-standing, waveguide-coupled silicon nitride microdisks hybridly integrated with embedded colloidal quantum dots. An efficient coupling of quantum dot emission to resonant disk modes and eventually to the access waveguides is demonstrated. The amount of light coupled out to the access waveguide can be tuned by controlling its dimensions and offset with the disk edge. These devices open up new opportunities for both on-chip silicon nitride integrated photonics and novel optoelectronic devices with quantum dots.

An integrated optical add/drop multiplexer in InP based on elliptic couplers and Bragg grating reflector

The wavelength add/drop multiplexer (ADM) is one of the key components for dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) systems. To realise this function, a number of schemes have been proposed and tested based on planar waveguide circuits or optical fibers, such as the planar waveguide based grating-folded directional coupler ADM, fiber based ADMs using Mach-Zehnder interferometer structure and photoimprinted Bragg gratings and so on. We proposed a new add/drop scheme based on elliptic beam collimators and Bragg gratings realised in InP. In this paper, we will report the device design, fabrication and the preliminary experimental results.

Sideband pump-probe technique resolves nonlinear modulation response of PbS/CdS quantum dots on a silicon nitride waveguide

For possible applications of colloidal nanocrystals in optoelectronics and nanophotonics, it is of high interest to study their response at low excitation intensity with high repetition rates, as switching energies in the pJ/bit to sub-pJ/bit range are targeted. We develop a sensitive pump-probe method to study the carrier dynamics in colloidal PbS/CdS quantum dots deposited on a silicon nitride waveguide after excitation by laser pulses with an average energy of few pJ/pulse. We combine an amplitude modulation of the pump pulse with phase-sensitive heterodyne detection. This approach permits to use co-linearly propagating co-polarized pulses. The method allows resolving transmission changes of the order of 10−5 and phase changes of arcseconds. We find a modulation on a sub-nanosecond time scale caused by Auger processes and biexciton decay in the quantum dots. With ground state lifetimes exceeding 1 μs, these processes become important for possible realizations of opto-electronic switching and modulation...

Progress towards on-chip single photon sources based on colloidal quantum dots in silicon nitride devices

New results on integration of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) into SiN microstructures are reported, including QD positioning with nanometric accuracy and the efficient coupling of their emission to waveguides and cavities. The results are relevant to on-chip quantum optics and information processing.