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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

Single photon emitting diode

Martin B. Ward, Zhiliang L. Yuan, R. M. Stevenson, Beata E. Kardynal, Charlene J. Lobo, Ken Cooper, D. A. Ritchie, Andrew J. Shields

Published Dec 1, 2002• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report the realization of the first electrically-driven single photon source. The device is based on a GaAs p-i-n diode containing self-assembled InAs quantum dots embedded within the i-region. Time resolved electroluminescence from the device yields information on the radiative lifetimes of the single quantum dots involved. Applying a continuous current a dip is measured in the second-order correlation function at zero time delay indicating that the luminescence is antibunched. Under pulsed excitation by subnanosecond voltage pulses, strong suppression of multi-photon pulses is achieved with respect to a laser of the same average intensity. The results suggest that conventional semiconductor technology can be used to mass-produce a single photon source for applications in quantum information technology.

DOI
10.1117/12.453760

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We report the realization of the first electrically-driven single photon source. The device is based on a GaAs p-i-n diode containing self-assembled InAs quantum dots embedded within the i-region. Time resolved electroluminescence from the device yields information on the radiative lifetimes of the single quantum dots involved. Applying a continuous current a dip is measured in the second-order correlation function at zero time delay indicating that the luminescence is antibunched. Under pulsed excitation by subnanosecond voltage pulses, strong suppression of multi-photon pulses is achieved with respect to a laser of the same average intensity. The results suggest that conventional semiconductor technology can be used to mass-produce a single photon source for applications in quantum information technology.
Quantum interference lies at the foundation of many protocols for scalable quantum computing and communication with linear optics. To observe these effects the light source must emit photons that are indistinguishable. From a technological standpoint, it would be beneficial to have electrical control over the emission. Here we report of an electrically driven single-photon source emitting indistinguishable photons. The device consists of a layer of InAs quantum dots embedded in the intrinsic region of a p-i-n diode. Indistinguishability of consecutive photons is tested in a two-photon interference experiment under two modes of operation, continuous and pulsed current injection. We also present a complete theory based on the interference of photons with a Lorentzian spectrum which we compare to both our continuous wave and pulsed experiments. In the former case, a visibility was measured limited only by the timing resolution of our detection system. In the case of pulsed injection, we employ a two-pulse voltage sequence which suppresses multi-photon emission and allows us to carry out temporal filtering of photons which have undergone dephasing. The characteristic Hong-Ou-Mandel 'dip' is measured, resulting in a visibility of 64 +/- 4%.
A single-photon source capable of emitting indistinguishable photons is a key element in schemes for scalable quantum information processing with linear optics. Whilst several groups have reported such sources, up until now an electrically driven source capable of making these protocols technologically viable has yet to be reported. We present the first demonstration of an electrically driven single-photon source emitting indistinguishable photons. Our sample consists of a layer of InAs/GaAs quantum dots embedded in the intrinsic region of a p-i-n microcavity diode. We test the indistinguishability of consecutive photons by carrying out a Hong-Ou- Mandel-type two-photon interference experiment whereby two identical photons arriving simultaneously at two input ports of a 50:50 beamsplitter exit together. The device was operated under two modes, continuous and pulsed current injection. In the former case, we measured a coherence time of up to 400 ps at low pump current - the longest reported under these excitation conditions. A two-photon interference visibility was measured, limited only by the timing resolution of our detection system and further suggesting a 100% overlap of photon wavepackets at the output beamsplitter. In the case of pulsed injection, we employed a two-pulse voltage sequence which allowed us to carry out temporal filtering of photons which had undergone dephasing. The characteristic Hong-Ou-Mandel "dip" was measured resulting in a visibility of 64 ± 4%.
An electrically driven ∼1.3μm single-photon source is demonstrated. The source contains InAs quantum dots within a planar cavity light-emitting diode. Electroluminescence (EL) spectra show clear emission lines and from time resolved EL we estimate a primary decay time of ∼1ns. Time-varying Stark shifts are studied and proposed for truncating the emission in jitter-sensitive applications (optimization for 2ns detector gate width demonstrated) and for relaxing excitation pulse-length requirements. A correlation measurement demonstrates suppression of multiphoton emission to below 28% of the Poissonian level before correction for detector dark counts, suggesting g(2)(0)∼0.19 for the source itself.
We have studied the photoluminescence correlation from a single InAs/GaAs self-assembled Stranski–Krastanow quantum dot under continuous, as well as under pulsed excitation. Under weak continuous excitation, where the single dot luminescence is due primarily to single exciton recombinations, antibunching is observed in the single dot emission correlation. Under weak pulsed excitation, the number of photons emitted by the quantum dot per pulse is close to one. We present data obtained under both conditions and are able to show that devices based on single quantum dots can be used to generate single photons.
We report on the study of a single-photon-emitting diode at 77K. The device is composed of InAs∕GaAs quantum dots embedded in the i-region of a p-i-n diode structure. The high signal to noise ratio of the electroluminescence, as well as the small second order correlation function at zero-delay g(2)(0), implies that the device has a low multiphoton emission probability. By comparing the device performances under different excitation conditions, we have, in detail, discussed the basic parameters, such as signal to noise ratio and g(2)(0), and provided some useful information for the future application.