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Optics Letters

AlGaAs-on-insulator waveguide for highly efficient photon-pair generation via spontaneous four-wave mixing

Hatam Mahmudlu, Stuart May, Alí Angulo, Marc Sorel, Michael Kues

Published Jan 27, 2021• 20 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report on the generation of correlated photon pairs in AlGaAs-on-insulator (AlGaAs-OI) waveguides through nonlinear spontaneous four-wave-mixing (SFWM). Our measurements reveal an SFWM pair generation efficiency of ∼ 0.096 × 10 12 p a i r s / ( s W 2 ) at a wavelength of 1550 nm. This is one of the highest efficiencies achieved to date for integrated SFWM sources. A maximal coincidence-to-accidental ratio of ∼ 122 is measured. A spectral characterization of the device’s pair emission at the quantum level demonstrates a broad generation bandwidth of 2.0 THz, which is important for frequency multiplexing applications. Our results indicate that AlGaAs-OI is an efficient material platform for integrated quantum photonics at telecom wavelengths.

DOI
10.1364/ol.418932

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We report on the generation of correlated photon pairs in AlGaAs-on-insulator (AlGaAs-OI) waveguides through nonlinear spontaneous four-wave-mixing (SFWM). Our measurements reveal an SFWM pair generation efficiency of ∼ 0.096 × 10 12 p a i r s / ( s W 2 ) at a wavelength of 1550 nm. This is one of the highest efficiencies achieved to date for integrated SFWM sources. A maximal coincidence-to-accidental ratio of ∼ 122 is measured. A spectral characterization of the device’s pair emission at the quantum level demonstrates a broad generation bandwidth of 2.0 THz, which is important for frequency multiplexing applications. Our results indicate that AlGaAs-OI is an efficient material platform for integrated quantum photonics at telecom wavelengths.
We demonstrate a source of correlated photon pairs which will have applications in future integrated quantum photonic circuits. The source utilizes spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM) in a dispersion-engineered nanowaveguide made of AlGaAs, which has merits of negligible two-photon absorption and low spontaneous Raman scattering (SpRS). We observe a coincidence-to-accidental (CAR) ratio up to 177, mainly limited by propagation losses. Experimental results agree well with theoretical predictions of the SFWM photon pair generation and the SpRS noise photon generation. We also study the effects from the SpRS, propagation losses, and waveguide lengths on the quality of our source.
The exploration of photonic systems for quantum information processing has generated widespread interest in multiple cutting-edge research fields. Photonic frequency encoding stands out as an especially viable approach, given its natural alignment with established optical communication technologies, including fiber networks and wavelength-division multiplexing systems. Substantial reductions in hardware resources and improvements in quantum performance can be expected by utilizing multiple frequency modes. The integration of nonlinear photonics with microresonators provides a compelling way for generating frequency-correlated photon pairs across discrete spectral modes. Here, by leveraging the high material nonlinearity and low nonlinear loss, we demonstrate an efficient chip-scale multi-wavelength quantum light source based on AlGaAs-on-insulator, featuring a free spectral range of approximately 200 GHz at telecom wavelengths. The optimized submicron waveguide geometry provides both high effective nonlinearity (~550 m−1^{-1}−1W−1^{-1}−1) and broad generation bandwidth, producing eleven distinct wavelength pairs across a 35.2 nm bandwidth with an average spectral brightness of 2.64 GHz mW−2^{-2}−2nm−1^{-1}−1. The generation of energy-time entanglement for each pair of frequency modes is verified through Franson interferometry, yielding an average net visibility of 93.1%. With its exceptional optical gain and lasing capabilities, the AlGaAs-on-insulator platform developed here shows outstanding potential for realizing fully integrated, ready-to-deploy quantum photonic systems on chip.
Correlated single photons provide a means to drive applications such as quantum computing and quantum communications. Correlated single photons can be generated via parametric down conversion in second–order nonlinear media or spontaneous four–wave mixing in third–order nonlinear media. In particular, complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology allows for seamless integration with electronics, providing the potential for a completely on-chip solution for quantum information processing. Ultra–silicon–rich nitride platform is a backend CMOS compatible platform, that has already been used to obtain high gain optical parametric amplification, wideband supercontinuum and enhanced nonlinearity in photonic crystal waveguides due to its large nonlinearity. In this work, we demonstrate correlated photon pair generation based on spontaneous four–wave mixing using ultra-silicon-rich nitride waveguides for the application in CMOS–based optical quantum technologies. A CW pump at a wavelength of 1555.747nm amplified using an EDFA is filtered through five wavelength division multiplexers (WDM) with a bandwidth of 1.2nm, providing 175dB suppression of EDFA induced pump sideband noise. The filtered quasi–TE pump, adjusted using a fiber polarization controller, is coupled into an ultra–silicon–rich nitride waveguide using a lensed fiber. A SiO2 cladded waveguide with a width of 550nm and height of 300nm possesses a high nonlinear parameter of 530W^-1/m with anomalous dispersion necessary for spontaneous four-wave mixing. The waveguide output is coupled into a lensed fiber and 7 cascaded WDMs are used to provide 245dB of residual pump filtration. The pump–suppressed output is spectrally separated into signal/idler part using WDMs. We refer to lower (higher) frequency photon as the signal (idler). The spontaneously generated signal and idler photons are filtered using cascaded tunable band pass filters (OTF) centered at 1571.24nm and cascaded WDMs centered at 1540.56nm, respectively. The bandwidth of the tunable OTF and WDM is 0.5nm and 1.2nm, therefore the correlated signal/idler photons are observed within the bandwidth window of 0.5nm induced by the OTF. The signal and idler photons are measured using InGaAs/InP avalanche photodetectors. The time correlation between signal and idler photons is obtained using a time interval analyzer with a detection efficiency of 20% and dead time of 15μs.The time bin is set to 81ps and the photon collection time is 240s. The coincidence peak is located ~11ns in the time–bin histogram due to the optical-path difference between the tunable OTF and WDM at respective signal and idler sides. The experimental raw coincidence counts (Hz), calculated by subtracting the accidental rate from the coincidence peak, show a quadratic increase with respect to coupled pump power. At the maximum coupled power of 5mW, the raw coincidence count is ~1Hz. We achieve a raw coincidence–to–accidental ratio (CAR) of up to 3. Therefore, we succeeded to observe correlated photon pair generation based on spontaneous four–wave mixing using the ultra–silicon–rich-nitride waveguide as a CMOS compatible platform, for future applications in quantum technologies.
Abstract Broadband frequency-correlated photon-pair sources could enable the realization of various quantum information technologies especially WDM-QKD (wavelength division multiplexed quantum key distribution) accommodating multiple users with enhanced data transmission rates. The wide transparency window, negligible nonlinear losses, and con- siderable refractive index contrast of silicon nitride (SiN) on insulator (SiO2) platform makes it an ideal material system for designing CMOS- compatible integrated photon sources based on spontaneous four-wave mixing (SFWM). We propose simple rectangular cross-section, few- cm long SiN waveguide designs capable of generating ultra-broadband frequency-correlated photon pairs via SFWM, exceeding an octave in bandwidth spanning the visible-to-telecom wavelengths (∼700-1700nm for ∼1-μm pump) with a spectral brightness of >2.5×104 photon pairs/s/nm/mW2. Such compact sources, spanning the entire telecom spectrum (across O, E, S, C, L, and U bands) on one side and cover- ing most of the major atomic transitions used in ultracold gases and solid-state based quantum memories on the other side, could poten- tially be employed in large-scale multi channel hybrid (free space + fiber) quantum networking schemes in addition to the heralding of telecom single photons by utilizing high efficiency visible detectors.
Single photon sources are a key element for quantum computing, quantum key distribution (QKD) and quantum communications. In particular, producing single photons at telecommunications wavelengths is valuable for QKD protocols and would enable realizing the quantum internet. The preferred method for their generation has long been spontaneous down conversion in bulk crystals, which suffers from connection loss to fiber networks. In-fiber spontaneous four-wave mixing provides a viable alternative as a photon pair source due to being compatible with existing fiber networks. We present an all-fiber photon pair source based on degenerate four-wave mixing in a 400 m Highly-Nonlinear fiber, with signal and idler wavelengths generated at 1552.5 nm and 1557 nm respectively. The source consists of CW pump laser operating at 1554.75 nm, which is slightly detuned from the zero group velocity dispersion wavelength into the normal dispersion regime. After pair generation in the highly-nonlinear fiber, three arrayed waveguide gratings are employed to spatially separate signal and idler, and provides a 120 dB pump power reduction. Firstly the source is modelled and experimentally characterized in the well known classical regime of stimulated four-wave mixing. The effect of fiber cooling on spontaneous Raman scattering is modelled and characterized, and a 30% reduction in spontaneous emission is found when cooling the fiber to -77°C. In the low power regime the coincidence to accidental count ratio is simulated and measured. An increase in the coincidence to accidental count ratio is observed when cooling the fiber.