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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)

Strain tuning of single-molecule-based single photon sources

Anastasios Fasoulakis, Kyle D. Major, Rowan A. Hoggarth, Alex S. Clark

Published Jun 21, 2021• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Dibenzoterrylene (DBT) molecules embedded in an anthracene host crystal are promising sources of single photons. They have high photostability and can be readily included in photonic structures [1] . Furthermore, when cooled to cryogenic temperatures they are spectrally stable and display fully coherent, lifetime-limited emission in the zero-phonon line (ZPL) [2] , and have a large branching ratio for this decay compared to incoherent decay involving molecular vibrations [3] . Another key characteristic of DBT-based photon sources is the proximity of their emission wavelength compared to rubidium atoms [4] , which can be exploited for quantum technology applications. However, so far fine-tuning of the emission of DBT has mainly been achieved using Stark tuning with a static electric field.

DOI
10.1109/cleo/europe-eqec52157.2021.9541855

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Dibenzoterrylene (DBT) molecules embedded in an anthracene host crystal are promising sources of single photons. They have high photostability and can be readily included in photonic structures [1] . Furthermore, when cooled to cryogenic temperatures they are spectrally stable and display fully coherent, lifetime-limited emission in the zero-phonon line (ZPL) [2] , and have a large branching ratio for this decay compared to incoherent decay involving molecular vibrations [3] . Another key characteristic of DBT-based photon sources is the proximity of their emission wavelength compared to rubidium atoms [4] , which can be exploited for quantum technology applications. However, so far fine-tuning of the emission of DBT has mainly been achieved using Stark tuning with a static electric field.
Single organic molecules hold great promise for generating, manipulating, and storing single photons. Such processes form the basis for new quantum-enhanced technologies such as sensing, communications, and computation. In this talk I will focus on a particularly promising molecule – dibenzoterrylene (DBT). When DBT is introduced into a solid crystal of anthracene it is photostable and emits light between 780 and 795 nm. When cooled to cryogenic temperature, DBT is isolated from phonon-induced dephasing meaning that the photons have a lifetime-limited. I will present recent results in growing DBT-doped anthracene crystals, introducing these to nanophotonic interfaces for enhancing the collection of photons, tuning the DBT emission wavelength to coincide with rubidium atomic absorption, and finally pump-probe spectroscopy experiments to find long-lived triplet states in DBT which will be useful for building a single-molecule quantum memory.
Single molecules of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in suitable host matrices are known for emitting with high quantum efficiency in very narrow and stable zero-phonon lines (ZPL) [1]. For our experiments we used dibenzotherrylene (DBT) molecule inserted as impurity in anthracene (Ac) nanocrystals, dispersed on a gold substrate and cooled down to 3 K in a closed-cycle cryostat. DBT in Ac features a single-photon dipole-allowed transition around 784 nm. Each molecule is namely identical but environmental conditions like local trapped charges or crystal strain can shift the frequency of its transition in a range of approximately 1 nm [2]. Those static differences alongside any instantaneous interaction with the environment can degrade the ability of the emitted photons to undergo two-photon interference (TPI).
Single photons are very attractive for quantum information processing, given their long coherence time and their ability to carry information in many degrees of freedom. A current challenge is the generation of single photons in a photonic chip in order to scale up the complexity of quantum operations. Solid state emitters could offer this possibility. Quantum dots are one promising approach, but photons produced by different dots are generally distinguishable. Nitrogen-vacancy (N-V) centres in diamond are also promising, however it is challenging to place these in photonic circuits and the emitted photons have many frequencies. By contrast, dibenzoterrylene (DBT) molecules embedded in a thin film of anthracene (AC) at cryogenic temperatures produce a high yield of indistinguishable photons [1, 2]. DBT acts as a two-level system with a narrow 30 MHz near-infrared (785 nm) zero-phonon line [1]. We have proposed that a DBT molecule, deposited in the vicinity of a nanoscale waveguide, could emit these photons efficiently into the waveguide [3]. Conventional spin-coating methods [1] do not offer sufficient control over the surface coverage and the morphology of the AC crystal for deposition on photonic structures, while crystals grown with sublimation are too thick. Another method is needed.
Efficient quantum light sources and non-linear optical elements at the few photon level are the basic ingredients for most applications in nano and quantum technologies. On the other hand, a scalable platform for quantum ICT typically requires reliable light matter interfaces and on-chip integration. In this work we demonstrate the potential of a novel hybrid technology which combines single organic molecules as quantum emitters and dielectric chips [1]. Dibenzoterrylene molecules in anthracene crystals (DBT:Ac) are particularly suitable quantum systems for this task, since they exhibit long-term photostability in thin samples [2], easy fabrication methods and life-time limited emission at cryogenic temperatures [3]. We demonstrate at room temperature the emission of single photons from DBT molecules into ridge waveguides with a branching ratio up to 40%. The overall single-photon source efficiency, including emission into the guided mode, propagation losses, and emission into a quasi-gaussian mode in free space, is estimated around 16%. These results are competitive with state-of-the-art single photon emission into propagating guided modes from solid state systems [4], while offering a novel platform with unprecedented versatility. References [1] P. Lombardi et al., Arxiv: 1701.00459v1 (2017). [2] C. Toninelli et al., Opt. Express 18, 6577 (2010). [3] A. A. L. Nicolet et al., ChemPhysChem 8, 1929 (2007). [4] I. Zadeh et al., Nano Lett. 16, 2289 (2016); R. S. Daveau et al., Arxiv: 1610.08670v1 (2016). [5] J. Hwang et. al., New J. Phys. 13, 085009 (2011); H.-W. Lee et al., Phys. Rev. A 63, 012305 (2000).
The physical realisation of a photonic quantum computer requires a reliable, fast, ondemand source of single indistinguishable photons. A promising candidate for one of these sources is a single dye molecule in a solid state matrix placed within the evanescent field of a photonic waveguide. This thesis explores the possibility of coupling of single dibenzoterrylene (DBT) molecules in an anthracene matrix to a silicon nitride waveguide at room temperature. I first discuss the theory by which photons from a DBT molecule can be evanescently coupled to a ridge waveguide. I present a novel growth method to form DBT-doped anthracene crystals which is very promising for applications to photonic devices. I discuss the methodology and the theory of such growth. I describe the confocal microscope I developed and used to image and characterise the emission of the single DBT molecules embedded in these crystals. My measurements show that the molecules are extremely stable single quantum emitters with a well-de ned polarization relative to the crystal axes. Measurements of the saturation intensity at room temperature allow me to estimate that a single DBT molecule could deliver at least 1012 photons before bleaching. This method of growth was used to deposit DBT molecules on top of a silicon nitride ridge waveguide. The results of the coupling experiment are shown. These include confocal images, saturation and lifetime measurements. The coupling efficiency is calculated and compared to what was simulated. The challenges of such structures are then presented. To tackle these challenges I deposited the molecules on top of lithium niobate and in silicon nitride slots. I conclude with a proposal for constructing the best photonic structure which would guarantee an easy deposition of the molecules and high coupling efficiencies.
Single photon emitters are quantum light sources that can enable a variety of quantum based technologies such as quantum information or quantum random number generation, among others. These single photon emitters can have their brightness increased by coupling to a plasmonic cavity. In this work, this possibility is addressed by spin coating anthracene crystals hosting dibenzoterrylene (DBT) molecules on top of Au dipolar nanoantenna arrays. Thin anthracene crystals covering a big fraction of the nanoantenna arrays were achieved, on which confocal fluorescence microscopy and time correlated single photon counting have been used to characterize the emitters. A time gating based analysis has been used to separate the nanoantenna luminescence from the fluorescence of the DBT molecules, obtaining lifetime values from coupled and uncoupled molecules. A set of 149 coupled molecules and 158 uncoupled molecules was represented in a histogram, showing a distribution from whose mean values the lifetime of DBT molecules (t=4.37 ns) was acquired, as well as a mean lifetime reduction of 2.4 times and a maximum lifetime reduction of 7 times.