Ze-Sheng Chen

Single photon extraction from self-assembled quantum dots via stable fiber array coupling

We present a direct fiber output of single photons from self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) realized by a stable fiber array-QD chip coupling. The integration of distributed Bragg reflector cavity and the etching of micropillar arrays isolate QDs and enhance their normal emission. The matched periods and mismatched diameters of the pillar array and the single-mode fiber array with Gaussian-shaped light spots enable a large alignment tolerance and a stable, efficient (i.e., near-field), and chip-effective (i.e., parallel) coupling of single QD emission, as compared to the traditional “point-based” coupling via a confocal microscope, waveguide, or fiber. The single photon counting rate at the fiber end reaches 1.87 M counts per second (cps) with a time correlation g2(0) of 0.3 under a saturated excitation, and 485 K cps with a g2(0) of 0.02 under a weak excitation, demonstrating a nice “all-fiber” single-photon source.

Resonantly driven exciton Rabi oscillation in single quantum dots emitting at 1300 nm

We report on the resonance fluorescence (RF) from single InAs quantum dots (QDs) emitting at the telecom band of 1300 nm. The InAs/GaAs QDs are embedded in a planar optical microcavity and the RF is measured by an orthogonal excitation-detection geometry for deeply suppressing the residual laser scattering. An ultra-weak He–Ne laser is necessary to be used as a gate laser for obtaining RF. Rabi oscillation with more than one period is observed through the picosecond (ps) pulsed laser excitation. The resonant control of exciton opens up new possibilities for realizing the on-demand single photon emission and quantum manipulation of solid-state qubits at telecom band.

Proper In deposition amount for on-demand epitaxy of InAs/GaAs single quantum dots*

The test-QD in-situ annealing method could surmount the critical nucleation condition of InAs/GaAs single quantum dots (SQDs) to raise the growth repeatability. Here, through many growth tests on rotating substrates, we develop a proper In deposition amount (θ) for SQD growth, according to the measured critical θ for test QD nucleation (θ c). The proper ratio θ/θ c, with a large tolerance of the variation of the real substrate temperature (T sub), is 0.964−0.971 at the edge and > 0.989 but < 0.996 in the center of a 1/4-piece semi-insulating wafer, and around 0.9709 but < 0.9714 in the center of a 1/4-piece N+ wafer as shown in the evolution of QD size and density as θ/θ c varies. Bright SQDs with spectral lines at 905 nm–935 nm nucleate at the edge and correlate with individual 7 nm–8 nm-height QDs in atomic force microscopy, among dense 1 nm–5 nm-height small QDs with a strong spectral profile around 860 nm–880 nm. The higher T sub in the center forms diluter, taller and uniform QDs, and very dilute SQDs for a proper θ/θ c: only one 7-nm-height SQD in 25 μm2. On a 2-inch (1 inch = 2.54 cm) semi-insulating wafer, by using θ/θ c = 0.961, SQDs nucleate in a circle in 22% of the whole area. More SQDs will form in the broad high-T sub region in the center by using a proper θ/θ c.

1.3 μm single-photon emission from strain-coupled bilayer of InAs/GaAs quantum dots at the temperature up to 120 K

We report on 1.3 μm single-photon emission based on a self-assembled strain-coupled bilayer of InAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded in a micropillar Bragg cavity at temperature of liquid nitrogen or even as high as 120 K. The obtained single-photon flux into the first lens of the collection optics is 4.2 × 106 and 3.3 × 106/s at 82 and 120 K, respectively, corresponding to a second-order correlation function at zero delay times of 0.27(2) and 0.28(3). This work reports on the significant effect of the micropillar cavity-related enhancement of QD emission and demonstrates an opportunity to employ telecom band single-photon emitters at liquid nitrogen or even higher temperature.