Towards a fully integrated quantum optic circuit

Christophe Couteau

Oliver Kahl

This thesis reports on the implementation and characterization of a fully integrated single-photon detector. Several detector circuits are realized and it is shown that the detectors exhibit supreme detection performance over a wide optical spectrum. The detectors' scalability is showcased by the parallel operation of multiple detectors within a single integrated circuit. These demonstrations are essential for future developments in integrated quantum optics.

Christof Peter Dietrich, Andrea Fiore, Mark G. Thompson +2 more

The recent progress in integrated quantum optics has set the stage for the development of an integrated platform for quantum information processing with photons, with potential applications in quantum simulation. Among the different material platforms being investigated, direct-bandgap semiconductors and particularly gallium arsenide (GaAs) offer the widest range of functionalities, including single- and entangled-photon generation by radiative recombination, low-loss routing, electro-optic modulation and single-photon detection. This paper reviews the recent progress in the development of the key building blocks for GaAs quantum photonics and the perspectives for their full integration in a fully-functional and densely integrated quantum photonic circuit.

Jonathan C. F. Matthews, Alberto Politi, André Stefanov +14 more

J. P. Sprengers, Alessandro Gaggero, Dondu Sahin +10 more

The monolithic integration of single-photon sources, passive optical circuits, and single-photon detectors enables complex and scalable quantum photonic integrated circuits, for application in linear-optics quantum computing and quantum communications. Here, we demonstrate a key component of such a circuit, a waveguide single-photon detector. Our detectors, based on superconducting nanowires on GaAs ridge waveguides, provide high efficiency (∼20%) at telecom wavelengths, high timing accuracy (∼60 ps), and response time in the ns range and are fully compatible with the integration of single-photon sources, passive networks, and modulators.

Jonathan C. F. Matthews, Alberto Politi, Anthony Laing +12 more