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Ultra-low power all-optical switch using a single quantum dot embedded in a photonic wire

Hoai Anh Nguyen, Thomas Grange, Nitin S. Malik, Emmanuel Dupuy, D. Tumanov, Pierre-Louis de Assis, Inah Yeo, F. Fratini, Niels Gregersen, Alexia Auffèves, Jean‐Michel Gérard, Julien Claudon

Published Jan 1, 2016• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We present experimental results on two-mode optical giant non-linearity of a single InAs quantum dot (QD) embedded in a GaAs tapered photonic wire (fig. 1a). This system, in which the QD is efficiently coupled to a single guided mode, has been exploited to realize ultrabright single-photon sources [1,2]. We exploit here its broad operation bandwidth (>100 nm around 950 nm) to efficiently address two different transitions of the QD with two cw laser beams (fig. 1b). The laser coupled to the upper transition leads to a Rabi splitting of the intermediate state (Autler-Townes effect), affecting the resonant reflectivity of the laser coupled to the lower transition (see fig. 1c). By performing reflectivity experiment, we show that a coupling laser of 10 nW (50 photons per emitter lifetime) can modify the transmission of the probe laser, realizing an ultra-low power all-optical switch.

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Ultra-low power optical transistor using a single quantum dot embedded in a photonic wire

Hoai Anh Nguyen, Thomas Grange, Nitin S. Malik +10 more

Summary form only given. Optical logic down to the single photon level holds the promise of data processing with a better energy efficiency than electronic devices [1]. In addition, preservation of quantum coherence in such logical components would enable optical quantum logical gates [2-8]. Optical logic requires optical non-linearities to allow for photon-photon interactions. Non-linearities usually appear for large intensities, but discrete transitions in a well coupled single two-level system allow for giant non-linearities operating at the single photon level.This is achieved by engineering what has been coined a "one-dimensional atom" [2], wherein a light emitter is predominantly coupled to a single propagating spatial mode. This favored coupling with a traveling mode is obtained either in a resonant optical cavity [3,4] or with non-resonant field confinement such as in single mode waveguides [5,6] or through the interaction with a focused optical beam [7,8] . Here we take advantage of the large coupling efficiency and the broadband operation of a photonic wire containing a semiconductor quantum dot (QD) [9] to implement a transistor using two different optical QD transitions. Our system is made of a single InAs QD embedded in a GaAs tapered photonic wire (fig. 1a). This system, in which the QD is efficiently coupled to a single guided mode, has been exploited to realize ultrabright single-photon sources [9]. We exploit here its broad operation bandwidth (>100 nm around 950 nm) to efficiently address two different transitions of the QD with two different laser beams to implement a two-color giant non-linearity: a weak probe laser has its reflectivity controlled by a few photons of the control laser.

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Ultra-Low Power Optical Transistor Using a Single Quantum Dot Embedded in a Photonic Wire

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Using a single InAs quantum dot embedded in a GaAs photonic wire, we realize a giant non-linearity between two optical modes to experimentally demonstrate an all-optical transistor triggered by 10 photons.

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Optical nonlinearities usually occur at large intensities, but discrete transitions allow for giant nonlinearities operating at the single-photon level. Here, the authors demonstrate a two-mode giant nonlinearity with a single semiconductor quantum dot, embedded in a broadband photonic wire antenna. They exploit two detuned optical transitions associated with the exciton-biexciton quantum-dot level scheme. The reflection of one laser beam is controlled by the other beam with a threshold power as low as ten photons per exciton lifetime (1.6 nW). Such a two-color nonlinearity opens up appealing perspectives for the realization of integrated ultralow-power logical gates and optical quantum gates.

arXiv:1705.04056•Physical review. B./Physical review. B•May 11, 2018•15 citations

Ultralow power all-optical switch

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Optical logic down to the single photon level holds the promise of data processing with a better energy efficiency than electronic devices [1]. In addition, preservation of quantum coherence in such logical components could lead to optical quantum logical gates [2--4]. Optical logic requires optical non-linearities to enable photon-photon interactions. Non-linearities usually appear for large intensities, but discrete transitions allow for giant non-linearities operating at the single photon level [5], as demonstrated for a single optical mode with cold atomic gases [6, 7], or single two-level systems coupled to light via a tailored photonic environment [8--13]. However optical logic requires two-mode non-linearities [14, 15]. Here we take advantage of the large coupling efficiency and the broadband operation of a photonic wire containing a semiconductor quantum dot (QD) [16] to implement an all-optical logical component, wherein as few as 10 photons per QD lifetime in one mode control the reflectivity of another, spectrally distinct, mode. Whether classical or quantum, optical communication has proven to be the best choice for long distance information distribution. All-optical data processing has therefore raised much interest in recent years, as it would avoid energy and coherence consuming optics-to-electronics conversion steps. Two-ports operation is a necessary requirement for the implementation of any non-trivial optical data processing. This involves a non-linear interaction between two distinct optical modes. Such a functionality operating at the single photon level can be achieved with a giant cross non-linearity obtained via resonant interactions in an atomic-like system featuring discrete energy levels [5].

•Jan 1, 2017•0 citations

Resonant excitation of single quantum dots: towards an ultra-coherent single photons source

Hai Son Nguyen, Gregory C. Sallen, Christophe Voisin +3 more

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are commonly considered as artificial atoms due to the 3D confinement of the electrons. These nanostructures are very promising for the realization of integrated devices such as single photon sources for quantum cryptography applications [1,2]. However, contrarily to genuine atoms, QDs are condensed matter systems and they consequently suffer from the coupling to their environment [3] which degrades the quality of the emitted photons in view of quantum cryptography applications. One way to circumvent this coupling is to excite strictly resonantly the QD at low temperature [4-10]. This difficult task has been achieved by designing an original excitation scheme to spatially decouple the excitation and detection paths. We first report that experimental studies of the resonant emission (RE) of single QDs can be strongly limited, even impossible, since most of the QDs show a very strong quenching of the RE of the fundamental transition. This issue is a broadly met experimental situation which is highly problematic for cavity quantum electrodynamics experiments in single QDs. We propose an efficient way to overcome this issue based on the use of an ultra-weak non-resonant laser that optically gates the QD RE [8] which controls the residual doping inherent to the QDs fabrication. It induces a complete recovery of the properties of an artificial atom, and the single QDs behave as quasi-ideal two-level systems. Up to now [7,9], the measurements on the QDs RE reported in the literature mainly focus on the incoherent fluorescence signal for achieving efficient single photon emission. In this regime, the spectrum linewidth is always limited to the radiative limit. We present experimental studies on the coherent laser light scattering by a single QD [7]. Besides the antibunching effect showing the non-classical nature of the emitted light, we observe that the QD emission spectrum is determined by the spectrum of the resonant excitation laser. By reducing the resonant excitation power, the so-called Mollow triplet shrinks to a single narrow Lorentzian line, while the relative intensity of this narrow peak increases and tends to overwhelm the RE spectrum. This implies that single QDs can produce single photons with a coherence time that is not limited anymore by the QD electronic properties, resulting in what we name an " ultra-coherent " character [7]. In conclusion, the resulting ultra-coherent single photon source promises high degrees of indistinguishability of the emitted photons which is a crucial requirement for quantum information applications. References [1] P. Michler et al., Science 290 (2000). [6] S. Ates et al., PRL 103 (2009). [2] C. Santori et al., Nature 419 (2002). [7] H. S. Nguyen et al., APL 99 (2011). [3] A. Berthelot et al., Nat. Phys. 2 (2006). [8] H. S. Nguyen et al., PRL 108 (2012). [4] A. Muller et al., PRL 99 (2007). [9] C. Matthiesen et al., PRL 1082 (2012). [5] R. Melet et al., PRB 78 (2008). [10] A. Reinhard et al., Nat. Phot. 6 (2012).

•Nov 26, 2012•0 citations

Single photon nonlinear optics in photonic crystals

Dirk Englund, Ilya Fushman, Andrei Faraon +1 more

We coherently probe a quantum dot that is strongly coupled to a photonic crystal nano-cavity by scattering of a resonant laser beam. The coupled system's response is highly nonlinear as the quantum dot saturates with nearly one photon per cavity lifetime. This system enables large amplitude and phase shifts of a signal beam via a control beam, both at single photon levels. We demonstrate photon-photon interactions with short pulses in a system that is promising for ultra-low power switches and two-qubit quantum gates.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Jan 26, 2009•0 citations
We present experimental results on two-mode optical giant non-linearity of a single InAs quantum dot (QD) embedded in a GaAs tapered photonic wire (fig. 1a). This system, in which the QD is efficiently coupled to a single guided mode, has been exploited to realize ultrabright single-photon sources [1,2]. We exploit here its broad operation bandwidth (>100 nm around 950 nm) to efficiently address two different transitions of the QD with two cw laser beams (fig. 1b). The laser coupled to the upper transition leads to a Rabi splitting of the intermediate state (Autler-Townes effect), affecting the resonant reflectivity of the laser coupled to the lower transition (see fig. 1c). By performing reflectivity experiment, we show that a coupling laser of 10 nW (50 photons per emitter lifetime) can modify the transmission of the probe laser, realizing an ultra-low power all-optical switch.
Summary form only given. Optical logic down to the single photon level holds the promise of data processing with a better energy efficiency than electronic devices [1]. In addition, preservation of quantum coherence in such logical components would enable optical quantum logical gates [2-8]. Optical logic requires optical non-linearities to allow for photon-photon interactions. Non-linearities usually appear for large intensities, but discrete transitions in a well coupled single two-level system allow for giant non-linearities operating at the single photon level.This is achieved by engineering what has been coined a "one-dimensional atom" [2], wherein a light emitter is predominantly coupled to a single propagating spatial mode. This favored coupling with a traveling mode is obtained either in a resonant optical cavity [3,4] or with non-resonant field confinement such as in single mode waveguides [5,6] or through the interaction with a focused optical beam [7,8] . Here we take advantage of the large coupling efficiency and the broadband operation of a photonic wire containing a semiconductor quantum dot (QD) [9] to implement a transistor using two different optical QD transitions. Our system is made of a single InAs QD embedded in a GaAs tapered photonic wire (fig. 1a). This system, in which the QD is efficiently coupled to a single guided mode, has been exploited to realize ultrabright single-photon sources [9]. We exploit here its broad operation bandwidth (>100 nm around 950 nm) to efficiently address two different transitions of the QD with two different laser beams to implement a two-color giant non-linearity: a weak probe laser has its reflectivity controlled by a few photons of the control laser.
Optical nonlinearities usually occur at large intensities, but discrete transitions allow for giant nonlinearities operating at the single-photon level. Here, the authors demonstrate a two-mode giant nonlinearity with a single semiconductor quantum dot, embedded in a broadband photonic wire antenna. They exploit two detuned optical transitions associated with the exciton-biexciton quantum-dot level scheme. The reflection of one laser beam is controlled by the other beam with a threshold power as low as ten photons per exciton lifetime (1.6 nW). Such a two-color nonlinearity opens up appealing perspectives for the realization of integrated ultralow-power logical gates and optical quantum gates.
Optical logic down to the single photon level holds the promise of data processing with a better energy efficiency than electronic devices [1]. In addition, preservation of quantum coherence in such logical components could lead to optical quantum logical gates [2--4]. Optical logic requires optical non-linearities to enable photon-photon interactions. Non-linearities usually appear for large intensities, but discrete transitions allow for giant non-linearities operating at the single photon level [5], as demonstrated for a single optical mode with cold atomic gases [6, 7], or single two-level systems coupled to light via a tailored photonic environment [8--13]. However optical logic requires two-mode non-linearities [14, 15]. Here we take advantage of the large coupling efficiency and the broadband operation of a photonic wire containing a semiconductor quantum dot (QD) [16] to implement an all-optical logical component, wherein as few as 10 photons per QD lifetime in one mode control the reflectivity of another, spectrally distinct, mode. Whether classical or quantum, optical communication has proven to be the best choice for long distance information distribution. All-optical data processing has therefore raised much interest in recent years, as it would avoid energy and coherence consuming optics-to-electronics conversion steps. Two-ports operation is a necessary requirement for the implementation of any non-trivial optical data processing. This involves a non-linear interaction between two distinct optical modes. Such a functionality operating at the single photon level can be achieved with a giant cross non-linearity obtained via resonant interactions in an atomic-like system featuring discrete energy levels [5].
Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are commonly considered as artificial atoms due to the 3D confinement of the electrons. These nanostructures are very promising for the realization of integrated devices such as single photon sources for quantum cryptography applications [1,2]. However, contrarily to genuine atoms, QDs are condensed matter systems and they consequently suffer from the coupling to their environment [3] which degrades the quality of the emitted photons in view of quantum cryptography applications. One way to circumvent this coupling is to excite strictly resonantly the QD at low temperature [4-10]. This difficult task has been achieved by designing an original excitation scheme to spatially decouple the excitation and detection paths. We first report that experimental studies of the resonant emission (RE) of single QDs can be strongly limited, even impossible, since most of the QDs show a very strong quenching of the RE of the fundamental transition. This issue is a broadly met experimental situation which is highly problematic for cavity quantum electrodynamics experiments in single QDs. We propose an efficient way to overcome this issue based on the use of an ultra-weak non-resonant laser that optically gates the QD RE [8] which controls the residual doping inherent to the QDs fabrication. It induces a complete recovery of the properties of an artificial atom, and the single QDs behave as quasi-ideal two-level systems. Up to now [7,9], the measurements on the QDs RE reported in the literature mainly focus on the incoherent fluorescence signal for achieving efficient single photon emission. In this regime, the spectrum linewidth is always limited to the radiative limit. We present experimental studies on the coherent laser light scattering by a single QD [7]. Besides the antibunching effect showing the non-classical nature of the emitted light, we observe that the QD emission spectrum is determined by the spectrum of the resonant excitation laser. By reducing the resonant excitation power, the so-called Mollow triplet shrinks to a single narrow Lorentzian line, while the relative intensity of this narrow peak increases and tends to overwhelm the RE spectrum. This implies that single QDs can produce single photons with a coherence time that is not limited anymore by the QD electronic properties, resulting in what we name an " ultra-coherent " character [7]. In conclusion, the resulting ultra-coherent single photon source promises high degrees of indistinguishability of the emitted photons which is a crucial requirement for quantum information applications. References [1] P. Michler et al., Science 290 (2000). [6] S. Ates et al., PRL 103 (2009). [2] C. Santori et al., Nature 419 (2002). [7] H. S. Nguyen et al., APL 99 (2011). [3] A. Berthelot et al., Nat. Phys. 2 (2006). [8] H. S. Nguyen et al., PRL 108 (2012). [4] A. Muller et al., PRL 99 (2007). [9] C. Matthiesen et al., PRL 1082 (2012). [5] R. Melet et al., PRB 78 (2008). [10] A. Reinhard et al., Nat. Phot. 6 (2012).
We coherently probe a quantum dot that is strongly coupled to a photonic crystal nano-cavity by scattering of a resonant laser beam. The coupled system's response is highly nonlinear as the quantum dot saturates with nearly one photon per cavity lifetime. This system enables large amplitude and phase shifts of a signal beam via a control beam, both at single photon levels. We demonstrate photon-photon interactions with short pulses in a system that is promising for ultra-low power switches and two-qubit quantum gates.