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arXiv:1007.1010 · Physical Review B

Electromagnetically induced transparency with an ensemble of donor-bound electron spins in a semiconductor

Maksym Sladkov, Alok U. Chaubal, Morten P. Bakker, Alexander R. Onur, D. Reuter, Andreas Dirk Wieck, Caspar H. van der Wal

Published Sep 24, 2010• 16 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We present measurements of electromagnetically induced transparency with an ensemble of donor-bound electrons in low-doped $n\text{-GaAs}$. We used optical transitions from the Zeeman-split electron-spin states to a bound trion state in samples with optical densities of 0.3 and 1.0. The electron-spin dephasing time ${T}_{2}^{\ensuremath{\ast}}\ensuremath{\approx}2\text{ }\text{ns}$ was limited by hyperfine coupling to fluctuating nuclear spins. We also observe signatures of dynamical nuclear polarization but find these effects to be much weaker than in experiments that use electron-spin resonance and related experiments with quantum dots.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.82.121308

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Physical Review B•Aug 24, 2011•1 citation
We present measurements of electromagnetically induced transparency with an ensemble of donor-bound electrons in low-doped n-GaAsn\text{-GaAs}n-GaAs. We used optical transitions from the Zeeman-split electron-spin states to a bound trion state in samples with optical densities of 0.3 and 1.0. The electron-spin dephasing time T2\ensuremath∗\ensuremath≈2 ns{T}_{2}^{\ensuremath{\ast}}\ensuremath{\approx}2\text{ }\text{ns}T2\ensuremath∗​\ensuremath≈2 ns was limited by hyperfine coupling to fluctuating nuclear spins. We also observe signatures of dynamical nuclear polarization but find these effects to be much weaker than in experiments that use electron-spin resonance and related experiments with quantum dots.
We report the observation of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) with an ensemble of donor-bound electrons in low-doped n-GaAs. We used pure GaAs layers with Si doping at very low concentration in a strong magnetic field. EIT was implemented with the two optical transitions that exist for the three-level system that is formed by the two electron spin states and a donor-bound trion state. Our results show that EIT with n-GaAs can serve as a platform for studies of nonlocal quantum entanglement with spins in semiconductors, as well as for controlling and probing dynamical nuclear polarization with coherent electron spins.
This PhD project contributes to a research field that aims to understand and extend the limits of how well quantum states of matter and optical fields can be prepared, controlled and detected. Central to this PhD research was the question whether an effect known as Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) can be realized with electron spins in a semiconductor. EIT forms the basis of many quantum-optical control schemes that use long-lived spin states. EIT can occur when two optical fields each drive a transition from one of two spin states to the same excited state. The application scenario is that information can be swapped between optical signal pulses and a memory function in matter, in a way that allows for processing the information in a quantum mechanical manner. Such quantum mechanical processing of information may lead to safer communication in optical fiber networks. A key result of this PhD project is the successful demonstration of EIT in the semiconductor material GaAs. The project used the spin of electrons that are located at donor atoms in the material. The thesis also reports on experiments that provide the foundation for this result, as well as on experiments that explore the limitations and possible improvements of the EIT effect in this material. This includes spectroscopy of the optical transitions of the donor atoms, studies of interactions between the spin of the donor electron and its semiconductor environment, and the design and development of unique instrumentation that was required for the research.
In this paper, we review our recent experimental studies on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) from electron spin coherences in semiconductor quantum wells. Coherent Raman resonances, manifestations of EIT from electron spin coherences at relatively low pump intensities, were demonstrated in both V-type and Λ-type three-level systems via heavy-hole exciton and trion transitions in undoped and doped quantum wells, respectively. Coherent Raman resonances from electron spin coherences via light-hole transitions were also demonstrated in a waveguide geometry that enables a long optical interaction length as well as a large absorption coefficient. Experimental approaches that can avoid or reduce detrimental many-body effects in quantum wells are suggested for the realization of nearly ideal EIT processes.
Optically addressable shallow donors in ZnO combine efficient spin-selective optical transitions with the potential for long spin coherence in an isotopically purifiable host lattice, making them an attractive platform for spin-photon quantum technologies. A key missing capability, however, has been coherent control beyond the small-angle rotations accessible with ultrafast optical pulses. Here we demonstrate coherent microwave control of implanted 115In^{115}\mathrm{In}115In donors in ZnO. Resonant optical pumping initializes and reads out the donor electron spin. Pulsed optically-detected magnetic resonance resolves the ten hyperfine transitions associated with the coupled 115In^{115}\mathrm{In}115In nuclear spin (I = 9/2) and reveals optical-pumping-induced nuclear spin polarization. We observe coherent Rabi oscillations with a maximum Rabi frequency of Ω/2π=36.2±0.7Ω/2π= 36.2 \pm 0.7Ω/2π=36.2±0.7\;MHz, corresponding to a πππ-pulse time of 13.8$\pm$0.3\;ns, and characterize the spin coherence using Ramsey, Hahn echo and dynamical-decoupling measurements. Unexpectedly, the measured coherence is substantially shorter than reported in previous optical studies of donor spins in ZnO at high magnetic field. Control experiments rule out several simple explanations including microwave heating and instantaneous diffusion from the driven donor ensemble, leaving an open question regarding the origin of decoherence at low magnetic field in microwave-controlled ZnO donors. These results establish microwave control of ZnO donor qubits with resonant optical access to specific donor species. More broadly, they demonstrate that coherent microwave control can be achieved in optically addressable spin systems with nanosecond-scale inhomogeneous dephasing, enabling field-, temperature-, and materials-dependent studies of coherence-limiting mechanisms and the development of optically interfaced electron-nuclear spin registers.
In high-purity n-type GaAs under a strong magnetic field, we are able to isolate a lambda system composed of two Zeeman states of neutral-donor-bound electrons and the lowest Zeeman state of bound excitons. When the two-photon detuning of this system is zero, we observe a pronounced dip in the excited-state photoluminescence, indicating the creation of the coherent population-trapped state. Our data are consistent with a steady-state three-level density-matrix model. The observation of coherent population trapping in GaAs indicates that this and similar semiconductor systems could be used for various electromagnetically induced transparency type experiments.
We report experimental studies of coherent spin dynamics of donor-bound electrons in high-purity GaAs by using transient differential transmission. The donor-bound exciton transitions, which are not visible in the linear absorption spectrum, are spectrally resolved in the nonlinear differential transmission spectra. The spin beats in the transient differential transmission response, arising from electron spin precession in an external magnetic field, are investigated with the pump and probe coupling to various donor-bound exciton transitions. The spectral dependence of the spin beats provides important information on the polarization selection rule for the underlying donor-bound exciton transitions. The polarization selection rules deduced from these experiments indicate that contributions from higher-energy donor-bound exciton transitions can severely limit the effectiveness of optical spin control using mechanisms such as polarization-dependent optical Stark shifts.