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

Compact Chirped Fiber Bragg Gratings for Single-Photon Generation from Quantum Dots

Vikas Remesh, Ria G. Krämer, René Schwarz, Florian Kappe, Yusuf Karli, Malte P. Siems, Thomas K. Bracht, Saimon Filipe Covre da Silva, Armando Rastelli, Doris E. Reiter, Daniel Richter, Stefan Nolte, Gregor Weihs

Published Jun 23, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

To realize a scalable source of frequency-multiplexed single photons, it is important to have an ensemble of quantum emitters that can be collectively excited with high efficiency. Semiconductor quantum dots hold great potential here, due to their excellent photophysical properties. The most efficient scheme to excite a quantum dot ensemble employs chirped laser pulses, relying on the so-called adiabatic rapid passage, is due to its robustness against spectral and intensity fluctuations. Yet, the existing methods to generate chirped laser pulses coupled to a quantum emitter are bulky, lossy, less flexible, and mechanically unstable, which severely hampers the prospects of a practical quantum dot device. Here, we present a compact, robust, and high-efficiency alternative for chirped pulse excitation of solid-state quantum emitters. Our simple plug-and-play module consists of chirped fiber Bragg gratings (CFBGs) that provide high dispersion, tailored to ~ 800 nm with a ~ 5 nm bandwidth that accommodates the quantum dot spectral variability. To characterize and benchmark the performance of our method, we demonstrate the chirped excitation of a GaAs/AlGaAs quantum dot that shows excellent agreement with theoretical simulations and establish high-fidelity single-photon generation. Our method can be tailored for a wide spectral range and dispersion requirements and is a significant milestone toward realizing a direct fiber-coupled, plug-and-play quantum dot photon source.

DOI
10.1109/cleo/europe-eqec65582.2025.11109340

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To realize a scalable source of frequency-multiplexed single photons, it is important to have an ensemble of quantum emitters that can be collectively excited with high efficiency. Semiconductor quantum dots hold great potential here, due to their excellent photophysical properties. The most efficient scheme to excite a quantum dot ensemble employs chirped laser pulses, relying on the so-called adiabatic rapid passage, is due to its robustness against spectral and intensity fluctuations. Yet, the existing methods to generate chirped laser pulses coupled to a quantum emitter are bulky, lossy, less flexible, and mechanically unstable, which severely hampers the prospects of a practical quantum dot device. Here, we present a compact, robust, and high-efficiency alternative for chirped pulse excitation of solid-state quantum emitters. Our simple plug-and-play module consists of chirped fiber Bragg gratings (CFBGs) that provide high dispersion, tailored to ~ 800 nm with a ~ 5 nm bandwidth that accommodates the quantum dot spectral variability. To characterize and benchmark the performance of our method, we demonstrate the chirped excitation of a GaAs/AlGaAs quantum dot that shows excellent agreement with theoretical simulations and establish high-fidelity single-photon generation. Our method can be tailored for a wide spectral range and dispersion requirements and is a significant milestone toward realizing a direct fiber-coupled, plug-and-play quantum dot photon source.
A scalable source of single photons is a key constituent of an efficient quantum photonic architecture. To realize this, it is beneficial to have an ensemble of quantum emitters that can be collectively excited with high efficiency. Semiconductor quantum dots hold great potential in this context due to their excellent photophysical properties. Spectral variability of quantum dots is commonly regarded as a drawback introduced by the fabrication method. However, this is beneficial to realize a frequency-multiplexed single-photon platform. Chirped pulse excitation, relying on the so-called adiabatic rapid passage, is the most efficient scheme to excite a quantum dot ensemble due to its immunity to individual quantum dot parameters. Yet, the existing methods of generating chirped laser pulses to excite a quantum emitter are bulky, lossy, and mechanically unstable, which severely hampers the prospects of a quantum dot photon source. Here, we present a compact, robust, and high-efficiency alternative for chirped pulse excitation of solid-state quantum emitters. Our simple plug-and-play module consists of chirped fiber Bragg gratings, fabricated via femtosecond inscription, to provide high values of dispersion in the near-infrared spectral range, where the quantum dots emit. We characterize and benchmark the performance of our method via chirped excitation of a GaAs quantum dot, establishing high-fidelity single-photon generation. Our highly versatile chirping module coupled to a photon source is a significant milestone toward realizing practical quantum photonic devices.
Abstract Shaped laser pulses have been remarkably effective in investigating various aspects of light–matter interactions spanning a broad range of research. Chirped laser pulses exhibiting a time‐varying frequency, or quadratic spectral phase, form a crucial category in the group of shaped laser pulses. This type of pulses have made a ubiquitous presence from spectroscopic applications to developments in high‐power laser technology, and from nanophotonics to quantum optical communication, ever since their introduction. In the case of quantum technologies recently, substantial efforts are being invested toward achieving a truly scalable architecture. Concurrently, it is important to develop methods to produce robust photon sources. In this context, semiconductor quantum dots hold great potential, due to their exceptional photophysical properties and on‐demand operating nature. Concerning the scalability aspect of semiconductor quantum dots, it is advantageous to develop a simple, yet robust method to generate photon states from it. Chirped pulse excitation has been widely demonstrated as a robust and efficient state preparation scheme in quantum dots, thereby boosting its applicability as a stable photon source in a real‐world scenario. Despite the rapid growth and advancements in laser technologies, the generation and control of chirped laser pulses can be demanding. Here, an overview of a selected few approaches is presented to tailor and characterize chirped pulses for the efficient excitation of a quantum dot source. By taking the chirped‐pulse‐induced adiabatic rapid passage process in quantum dot as an example, numerical design examples are presented along with experimental advantages and challenges in each method and conclude with an outlook on future perspectives.
Abstract Nanoscale bright sources that produce high-purity single photons and high-fidelity entangled photon pairs are the building blocks to realize high security quantum communication devices. To achieve high communication rates, it is desirable to have an ensemble of quantum emitters that can be collectively excited, despite their spectral variability. In case of semiconductor quantum dots, Rabi rotations are the most popular method for resonant excitation. However, these cannot assure a universal, highly efficient excited state preparation, due to the sensitivity to excitation parameters. In contrast, adiabatic rapid passage (ARP), relying on chirped optical pulses, is immune to quantum dot spectral inhomogeneity. Here, we show that the robustness of ARP holds true for the simultaneous excitation of the biexciton states in multiple, spatially separated and spectrally different quantum dots. For positive chirps, we also find a regime where the influence of phonons relax the sensitivity to spectral detunings and lower the needed excitation power. Being able to generate high-purity photons from spatially multiplexed quantum dot sources using the biexciton to ground state cascade is a big step towards the implementation of high photon rate, entanglement-based quantum key distribution protocols.
For a scalable photonic device producing entangled photons, it is desirable to have multiple quantum emitters in an ensemble that can be collectively excited, despite their spectral variability. For quantum dots, Rabi rotation, the most popular method for resonant excitation, cannot assure a universal, highly efficient excited state preparation, because of its sensitivity to the excitation parameters. In contrast, Adiabatic Rapid Passage (ARP), relying on chirped optical pulses, is immune to quantum dot spectral inhomogeneity. Here, we advocate the robustness of ARP for simultaneous excitation of the biexciton states of multiple quantum dots. For positive chirps, we find that there is also regime of phonon advantage that widens the tolerance range of spectral detunings. Using the same laser pulse we demonstrate the simultaneous excitation of energetically and spatially distinct quantum dots. Being able to generate spatially multiplexed entangled photon pairs is a big step towards the scalability of photonic devices.
In this thesis, several optical excitation schemes for single-photon generation in nanowire semiconductor quantum dots were investigated. Fluctuations in the excitation pulse can degrade photon quality and reduce the reliability of the source. These limitations motivated the development of a new excitation scheme called chirped stimulated adiabatic rapid passage. It is designed to be robust against fluctuations in both the energy levels of the quantum system and the laser parameters, including pulse power, spectral detuning, and time delay. Building upon the principles of adiabatic rapid passage, the proposed approach employs an additional chirped stimulation pulse, yielding an enhancement in photon generation by a factor of 1.47 compared to adiabatic rapid passage. These features make the technique promising for the stable generation of single photons, with improved performance under realistic experimental conditions.