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arXiv:1304.4944 · Scientific Reports

Inherent polarization entanglement generated from a monolithic semiconductor chip

Rolf T. Horn, Piotr Leszek Kolenderski, Dongpeng Kang, Payam Abolghasem, Carmelo Scarcella, Adriano Della Frera, Alberto Tosi, L. G. Helt, Sergei V. Zhukovsky, John E. Sipe, Gregor Weihs, Amr Saher Helmy, Thomas D. Jennewein

Published Jul 30, 2013• 111 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Creating miniature chip scale implementations of optical quantum information protocols is a dream for many in the quantum optics community. This is largely because of the promise of stability and scalability. Here we present a monolithically integratable chip architecture upon which is built a photonic device primitive called a Bragg reflection waveguide (BRW). Implemented in gallium arsenide, we show that, via the process of spontaneous parametric down conversion, the BRW is capable of directly producing polarization entangled photons without additional path difference compensation, spectral filtering or post-selection. After splitting the twin-photons immediately after they emerge from the chip, we perform a variety of correlation tests on the photon pairs and show non-classical behaviour in their polarization. Combined with the BRW's versatile architecture our results signify the BRW design as a serious contender on which to build large scale implementations of optical quantum processing devices.

DOI
10.1038/srep02314

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We report the observation of polarization entangled photon pairs generated by means of type-II spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) within an Al x Ga 1-x As Bragg reflection waveguide (BRW).Even though SPDC in BRW had been observed before, the photons detected were not entangled in the polarization degree of freedom.As a necessary previous step, we also characterized the phasematching properties of the waveguides designed by means of the nonlinear process of second-harmonic generation (SHG).
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