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SBFoton International Optics and Photonics Conference (SBFoton IOPC)

Bright Asynchronous Heralded Single-Photon Source Using a-Si:H Waveguide

Rodrigo Amorim, Lars Grüner-Nielsen, Karsten K. Rottwitt

Published Nov 11, 2024• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

In this work, we demonstrate an on-chip pair generation rate of up to 3.1 MHz by a spontaneous four-wave mixing process in a hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) waveguide using a continuous-wave (CW) laser. By performing a heralded autocorrelation measurement, we show that even for high levels of pair generation, the source keeps emitting light in the single-photon regime.

DOI
10.1109/sbfotoniopc62248.2024.10813484

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Integrated silicon photonics has played an important role in advancing the applications of quantum information and quantum science. However, it is challenging to integrate all components with state-of-the-art performance using only a homogeneous platform. Here, by combining high nonlinearity and low losses in a heterogeneous silicon platform, we efficiently generate high-quality photon pairs through spontaneous four-wave mixing in a hydrogenated amorphous silicon waveguide and route them off-chip through a low-loss silicon nitride waveguide. A record high coincidence-to-accidental ratio value of 1632.6 (±260.4) is achieved in this heterogeneous design with a photon pair generation rate of 1.94 MHz. We also showcase a wide range of multichannel photon sources with a coincidence-to-accidental ratio consistently around 200. Lastly, we measure heralded single-photons with the lowest g H (2) (0) of 0.1085 ± 0.0014. Our results demonstrate the heterogeneous silicon platform as an ideal platform for the efficient generation of photon pairs and off-chip routing with low losses. It also paves the way for a future hybrid photonic integrated circuit by collecting distinct features from different materials.
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