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Integrated Sources of Polarization Entangled Photon Pair States via Spontaneous Four-Wave Mixing in AlGaAs Waveguides

Pisek Kultavewuti

Published Jun 1, 2017• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Polarization-entangled photon pair states (PESs) are indispensable in several quantum protocols that should be implemented in an integrated photonic circuit for realizing a practical quantum technology. Preparing such states in integrated waveguides is in fact a challenge due to polarization mode dispersion. Unlike other conventional ways that are plagued with complications in fabrication or in state generation, in this thesis, the scheme based on parallel spontaneous four-wave mixing processes of two polarization waveguide modes is thoroughly studied in theory and experimentation for the polarization entanglement generation. The scheme in fact needs the modal dispersion, contradictory to the general perception, as revealed by a full quantum mechanical framework. The proper modal dispersion balances the effects of temporal walk-off and state factorizability. The study also shows that the popular standard platform such as a silicon-on-insulator wafer is far from suitable to implement the proposed simple generation technique. Proven by the quantum state tomography, the technique produces a highly-entangled state with a maximum concurrence of 0.97 from AlGaAs waveguides. In addition, the devices directly generated Bell states with an observed fidelity of 0.92 without any post-generation compensating steps. Novel suspended device structures, including their components, are then investigated numerically and experimentally characterized in pursuit of finding the geometry with the optimal dispersion property. The 700 nmx1100 nm suspended rectangular waveguide is identified as the best geometry with a predicted maximum concurrence of 0.976 and a generation bandwidth of 3.3 THz. The suspended waveguide fabrication procedure adds about 15 dB/cm and 10 dB/cm of propagation loss to the TE and TM mode respectively, on top of the loss in corresponding full-cladding waveguides. Bridges, which structurally support the suspended waveguides, are optimized using the particle swarm algorithm to maximize the power transmission, and they were experimentally verified. This work greatly simplifies the generation of the PES and identifies a novel device structure suitable for such the PES generation. In combination with the reported promising advances in interferometric components and single photon detectors implemented in AlGaAs, the result of this thesis represents a step toward realizing a complete integrated quantum photonic circuit empowered by polarization-based protocols.

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Polarization-entangled photon pair states (PESs) are indispensable in several quantum protocols that should be implemented in an integrated photonic circuit for realizing a practical quantum technology. Preparing such states in integrated waveguides is in fact a challenge due to polarization mode dispersion. Unlike other conventional ways that are plagued with complications in fabrication or in state generation, in this thesis, the scheme based on parallel spontaneous four-wave mixing processes of two polarization waveguide modes is thoroughly studied in theory and experimentation for the polarization entanglement generation. The scheme in fact needs the modal dispersion, contradictory to the general perception, as revealed by a full quantum mechanical framework. The proper modal dispersion balances the effects of temporal walk-off and state factorizability. The study also shows that the popular standard platform such as a silicon-on-insulator wafer is far from suitable to implement the proposed simple generation technique. Proven by the quantum state tomography, the technique produces a highly-entangled state with a maximum concurrence of 0.97 from AlGaAs waveguides. In addition, the devices directly generated Bell states with an observed fidelity of 0.92 without any post-generation compensating steps. Novel suspended device structures, including their components, are then investigated numerically and experimentally characterized in pursuit of finding the geometry with the optimal dispersion property. The 700 nmx1100 nm suspended rectangular waveguide is identified as the best geometry with a predicted maximum concurrence of 0.976 and a generation bandwidth of 3.3 THz. The suspended waveguide fabrication procedure adds about 15 dB/cm and 10 dB/cm of propagation loss to the TE and TM mode respectively, on top of the loss in corresponding full-cladding waveguides. Bridges, which structurally support the suspended waveguides, are optimized using the particle swarm algorithm to maximize the power transmission, and they were experimentally verified. This work greatly simplifies the generation of the PES and identifies a novel device structure suitable for such the PES generation. In combination with the reported promising advances in interferometric components and single photon detectors implemented in AlGaAs, the result of this thesis represents a step toward realizing a complete integrated quantum photonic circuit empowered by polarization-based protocols.
Photonic-based qubits and integrated photonic circuits have enabled demonstrations of quantum information processing (QIP) that promises to transform the way in which we compute and communicate. To that end, sources of polarization-entangled photon pair states are an important enabling technology. However, such states are difficult to prepare in an integrated photonic circuit. Scalable semiconductor sources typically rely on nonlinear optical effects where polarization mode dispersion (PMD) degrades entanglement. Here, we directly generate polarization-entangled states in an AlGaAs waveguide, aided by the PMD and without any compensation steps. We perform quantum state tomography and report a raw concurrence as high as 0.91 ± 0.01 observed in a 1,100-nm-wide waveguide. The scheme allows direct Bell state generation with an observed maximum fidelity of 0.90 ± 0.01 from another (800-nm-wide) waveguide. Our demonstration paves the way for sources that allow for the implementation of polarization-encoded protocols in large-scale quantum photonic circuits.
Quantum states of photons such as entangled and single photons are indispensable components for applications in optical quantum information processing. Being able to generate and manipulate quantum states of photons on a chip is a crucial step towards realizing real-world quantum information processing systems such as an optical quantum computer. In this thesis, theoretical and experimental research was carried out for on-chip generation of quantum states of photons via the nonlinear process of spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC), including polarization entangled photons, hyperentangled photons and heralded pure single photons. A majority of the study was based on III-V semiconductor AlGaAs, which could lead to monolithic integration of pump lasers and enable electrically pump sources operating at room temperature. The generation of cross-polarized entangled photons via a type-II SPDC in an AlGaAs Bragg reflection waveguide (BRW) was first investigated. The lack of material birefringence enables the direct generation of wavelength-multiplexed polarization entangled photons with a concurrence of at least 0.77 in a bandwidth of 95 nm. Second, a technique using concurrent type-0 and type-I processes on an AlGaAs chip to generate polarization entangled photon was developed. This technique allows the generation of both co-polarized and cross-polarized entangled photons on the same chip without the need of off-chip compensation, interferometer and bandpass filter. Third, a technique of generating hyperentangled photons on an AlGaAs chip was developed by utilizing spatial modes of different guiding mechanisms. High quality entanglement could be achieved with bandpass filtering of a few nanometers without off-chip phase compensation. Four, a generic technique using nonlinear photonic nanowires to engineer two-photon quantum states was proposed. Via dispersion engineering which controls the group velocity of each mode, maximally entangled polarization entangled photons and pure heralded single photons can be generated on-chip. Design examples were applied to III-V semiconductor and ferroelectric materials. Last, a strategy to enhance the bandwidths of wavelength conversion and SPDC spectrum was developed by tapering the waveguides. Combined with further integration of pump lasers, photonic circuits and detectors, the techniques developed in this thesis provides a viable route to achieve fully integrated generation and manipulations of photonic quantum qubits.
Generating polarization-entangled photon pairs on chip is generally complicated by the birefringence of waveguides. In this work, we propose a technique that uses waveguide birefringence and lends itself to simple device designs. The technique relies on two orthogonal spontaneous four-wave mixing processes. We employ the full quantum optics theory and dispersion analysis, and show that the technique can produce highly entangled states, with concurrence as high as 0.976 and covering the entire C-band.
We report the experimental generation of polarization-entangled photons at telecommunication wavelengths using spontaneous four-wave mixing in silicon-on-insulator wire waveguides. The key component is a 2D coupler that transforms path entanglement into polarization entanglement at the output of the device. Using quantum state tomography we find that the produced state has fidelity 88% with a pure nonmaximally entangled state. The produced state violates the CHSH Bell inequality by S=2.37 ± 0.19.
We propose integrated photonic sources based on spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in dispersion engineered silicon nitride (SiN) nanowaveguides capable of generating spectrally-pure polarization-entangled photon-pairs bridging the visible-NIR and telecom bands. A simple silica-clad SiN waveguide design with height 640 nm and width in the range 860–960 nm can generate polarization-entangled photon pairs that simultaneously offers high heralded single photon purity of$>9999% and concurrence upto 0.99, with signal and idler lying in the range99\sim736–740nmand736–740 nm and736–740nmand\sim1460–1560nm,respectively,employingapulsedpump(BW1460–1560 nm, respectively, employing a pulsed pump (BW1460–1560nm,respectively,employingapulsedpump(BW\gtrsim0.25–3THz)ofwavelengthnear0.25–3 THz) of wavelength near0.25–3THz)ofwavelengthnear\sim1−1-1−\mum.Slightlydifferentwaveguideheightof620nmandcorrespondingwaveguidewidthsintherange1040–1180nm,offeringthesamepurityandconcurrencestandards,canalsoaddressvariousquantummemoriesdemonstratedatthevisible−NIRwavelengthsofm. Slightly different waveguide height of 620 nm and corresponding waveguide widths in the range 1040–1180 nm, offering the same purity and concurrence standards, can also address various quantum memories demonstrated at the visible-NIR wavelengths ofm.Slightlydifferentwaveguideheightof620nmandcorrespondingwaveguidewidthsintherange1040–1180nm,offeringthesamepurityandconcurrencestandards,canalsoaddressvariousquantummemoriesdemonstratedatthevisible−NIRwavelengthsof\sim$775–800 nm with a telecom band interface. Such CMOS-compatible on-chip sources of spectrally-pure polarization-entangled photon pairs can potentially be employed in a scalable manner for various optical quantum technologies.