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arXiv:1204.4922 · Optics Express

Photon pair generation in a silicon micro-ring resonator with reverse bias enhancement

Erman Engin, Damien Bonneau, Chandra M. Natarajan, Alex S. Clark, Michael G. Tanner, Robert H. Hadfield, Sander N. Dorenbos, Val Zwiller, Kazuya Ohira, Nobuo Suzuki, Haruhiko Yoshida, Norio Iizuka, Mizunori Ezaki, Jeremy L. O’Brien, Mark G. Thompson

Published Nov 6, 2013• 192 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Photon sources are fundamental components for any quantum photonic technology. The ability to generate high count-rate and low-noise correlated photon pairs via spontaneous parametric down-conversion using bulk crystals has been the cornerstone of modern quantum optics. However, future practical quantum technologies will require a scalable integration approach, and waveguide-based photon sources with high-count rate and low-noise characteristics will be an essential part of chip-based quantum technologies. Here, we demonstrate photon pair generation through spontaneous four-wave mixing in a silicon micro-ring resonator, reporting separately a maximum coincidence-to-accidental (CAR) ratio of 602 ± 37 (for a generation rate of 827kHz), and a maximum photon pair generation rate of 123 MHz ± 11 kHz (with a CAR value of 37). To overcome free-carrier related performance degradations we have investigated reverse biased p-i-n structures, demonstrating an improvement in the pair generation rate by a factor of up to 2 with negligible impact on CAR.

DOI
10.1364/oe.21.027826

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Photon sources are fundamental components for any quantum photonic technology. The ability to generate high count-rate and low-noise correlated photon pairs via spontaneous parametric down-conversion using bulk crystals has been the cornerstone of modern quantum optics. However, future practical quantum technologies will require a scalable integration approach, and waveguide-based photon sources with high-count rate and low-noise characteristics will be an essential part of chip-based quantum technologies. Here, we demonstrate photon pair generation through spontaneous four-wave mixing in a silicon micro-ring resonator, reporting separately a maximum coincidence-to-accidental (CAR) ratio of 602 ± 37 (for a generation rate of 827kHz), and a maximum photon pair generation rate of 123 MHz ± 11 kHz (with a CAR value of 37). To overcome free-carrier related performance degradations we have investigated reverse biased p-i-n structures, demonstrating an improvement in the pair generation rate by a factor of up to 2 with negligible impact on CAR.
This study systematically investigates the impact of introducing free-carrier depletion to the microring cavity on the correlated photon-pair generation. The free-carrier depletion is realized through embedding a p-i-n diode adjacent to the silicon microring resonator and applying a reverse bias voltage, thus reducing the nonlinear loss caused by free carrier absorption. Experimental results show a significant reduction in free-carrier lifetime, which improves key metrics of photon-pair generation, including coincidence rate, coincidence-to-accidental ratio (CAR), and heralding efficiency. A high pair generation rate of near 5 GHz/mW 2 with an associated CAR of 231 is achieved at 0.038 mW on-cavity power and 30 V bias. However, it is observed that the side-effect such as linear noise and thermal disturbance due to high pump power can override the improvements. Excessively high voltage can also degrade the performance as the extinction ratio is deviated from the optimum operating point. Additionally, the power-line interference existing in the DC supply is considered, which induces significant oscillation in the transmission spectrum and is shown detrimental to the photon-pair generation.
We demonstrate efficient generation of correlated photon pairs by spontaneous four wave mixing in a 5 μm radius silicon ring resonator in the telecom band around 1550 nm. By optically pumping our device with a 200 μW continuous wave laser, we obtain a pair generation rate of 0.2 MHz and demonstrate photon time correlations with a coincidence-to-accidental ratio as high as 250. The results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions and show the potential of silicon micro-ring resonators as room temperature sources for integrated quantum optics applications.
The high Kerr coefficient of amorphous silicon makes it a promising material for generating photons on chip via spontaneous four wave mixing (SFWM), for applications in quantum photonics. Previous work shows high photon generation rates in a-Si waveguides, [1], and here we expand this study to investigate micro-ring resonator photon sources, which have a small footprint and can produce photons with high spectral purity, ideal for quantum interference. We compare SFWM generation rates in an a-Si micro-ring resonator to a straight waveguide, in both continuous wave and pulsed pump regimes.
Integrated silicon micro-ring resonator (MRR) has been widely used as on-chip single photon source. In this paper, we introduce an approach to generate frequency-degenerate photons by bidirectionally pumping an add-drop micro-ring resonator (MRR) within a Sagnac loop configuration. This scheme facilitates the concurrent generation of photon pairs from both clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW) directions, transforming a single MRR into a dual-source system. Through CMOS fabrication techniques, we realized the proposed device and conducted measurements of key parameters including the single side count rate (SSCR), coincidence count rate (CCR), and coincidence-to-accidental coincidence ratio (CAR) for both directional outputs. Notably, the CCRs exhibit remarkable similarity between the two sources, reaching approximately 550 Hz at an waveguide power of 0.59 mW. Furthermore, we observed a differential CAR, with the CCW direction yielding a lower value compared to the CW direction, with estimated maxima of 161 and 387, respectively. These findings underscore the viability of utilizing a singular MRR as a dual-source entity. Additionally, we outline the design of an on-chip structure for heralded Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference, necessitating 4-fold coincidences.Our work holds the promise of advancing the realm of large-scale integrated quantum photonic chips.
The intrinsic third-order nonlinearity in silicon has proven it to be quite useful in the field of quantum optics. Silicon is suitable for producing time-correlated photon pairs that are sources of heralded single-photon states for quantum integrated circuits. A quantum signal source in the form of single photons is an inherent requirement for the principles of quantum key distribution technology for secure communications. Here, we present numerical simulations of a silicon ring with a 6 μ m radius side-coupled with a bus waveguide as the source for the generation of single photons. The photon pairs are generated by exploring the process of degenerate spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM). The free spectral range (FSR) of the ring is quite large, simplifying the extraction of the signal/idler pairs. The phase-matching condition is considered by studying relevant parameters like the dispersion and nonlinearity. We optimize the ring for a high quality factor by varying the gap between the bus and the ring waveguide. This is the smallest ring studied for photon pair generation with a quality factor in the order of 10 5 . The width of the waveguides is chosen such that the phase-matching condition is satisfied, allowing for the propagation of fundamental modes only. The bus waveguide is pumped at one of the ring resonances with the minimum dispersion (1543.5 nm in our case) to satisfy the principle of energy conservation. The photon pair generation rate achieved is comparable to the state of the art. The photon pair sources exploiting nonlinear frequency conversion/generation processes is a promising alternative to atom-like single-photon emitters in the field of integrated photonics. Such miniaturized structures will benefit future on-chip architectures where multiple single-photon source devices are required on the same chip.
Integrated Silicon photonics has played an important role in advancing the applications of quantum information and quantum science. However, due to different material properties, it is challenging to integrate all components with excellent performance based on homogeneous material. Here, by combining high nonlinearity and low losses in a heterogeneous silicon platform, we efficiently generate high-quality photon pairs through spontaneous four-wave mixing in hydrogenated amorphous silicon waveguide and route them off-chip through low loss silicon nitride waveguide. A record high coincidence- to- accidental rate value of 1632.6 (±\pm± 260.4) is achieved in this heterogeneous design with a photon pair generation rate of 1.94 MHz. We also showcase a wide range of multi-channel photon sources with coincidence- to- accidental rate consistently at 200. Lastly, we measure heralded single-photons with a lowest gH(2)(0)g^{(2)}_H(0)gH(2)​(0) of 0.1085 ±\pm± 0.0014. Our results demonstrate the heterogeneous silicon platform as an ideal platform for efficient generation of photon pairs and routing them off-chip with low losses. It also paves a way for the future hybrid photonic integrated circuit by collecting distinct features from different materials.