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Optics Express

Photon-pair characterization in an amorphous silicon waveguide

Rodrigo Amorim, Peter David Girouard, Lars Grüner-Nielsen, Kasper Alexander, Lars Søgaard Rishøj, Karsten K. Rottwitt

Published Oct 15, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We report a comprehensive characterization of photon-pair generation by spontaneous four-wave mixing in a partially deuterated amorphous silicon (a-Si:D) waveguide for C-band heralded single-photon generation. In a 3.3-mm-long strip waveguide pumped with a continuous-wave laser at telecom wavelengths, we measure an on-chip pair-generation rate of 3.1 × 10 6 pairs/s, a maximum coincidence-to-accidental ratio of 66, and a heralded second-order correlation g H (2) (0)=0.058±0.002, with these values obtained at different pump powers. We also demonstrate, to the best of our knowledge, the first observation of time-energy entanglement from an amorphous silicon waveguide, with a Franson interference visibility of 77±5%. The power scaling of the singles and accidental coincidences indicates a significant noise contribution that currently limits the source performance. Our results identify a-Si:D as a promising nonlinear platform for bright, integrated photon-pair sources and future hybrid quantum photonic circuits.

DOI
10.1364/oe.608158

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