arXiv subjects

Robin L. Williams

Publications and source records attributed to Robin L. Williams.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Directional telecom photons from a chirally coupled quantum dot

Chiral quantum light-matter interfaces, where the internal spin state of a quantum emitter determines the direction in which it emits, are essential building blocks of non-reciprocal quantum devices, deterministic quantum logical gates and entanglement generation protocols. Yet, a chiral quantum interface that operates at telecom wavelengths, and is compatible with telecommunication infrastructure and silicon photonics, does not yet exist. Here, we report on an integrated chiral quantum interface in the original telecom band (1260-1360 nm), created by interfacing InAs quantum dots with a waveguide-coupled InP microdisk. We tune the quantum dot transitions through the photonic cavity using a strong magnetic field, observing a peak cavity enhancement of 3.3 and an emission directionality of 0.985, demonstrating the near-ideal chiral quantum coupling required for quantum information processing on integrated photonic devices.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Advanced architectures for coupling III-V nanowires to photonic integrated circuitry

This work implements a hybrid device based on a semiconductor quantum dot embedded within a nanowire to bridge a non-continuous curved waveguide structure. The geometry takes advantage of evanescent coupling between the photonic structures to recover single photons emitted from both outputs of the device. Auto- and cross-correlation measurements were performed on different output facets of the device. We demonstrate single-photon emission from both ends of the nanowire for both neutral, X and XX, and charged X-, excitonic complexes. We further demonstrate the cascaded XX-X emission by collecting each complex from a different facet. This work lays the foundation for on-chip architectures which utilize multi-directional integration of quantum emitters.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Approaching transform-limited linewidths in telecom-wavelength transitions of ungated quantum dots

Highly coherent quantum emitters operating in the telecommunication C-band (1530 - 1565nm), where ultra-low-loss fibers and photonic circuits are available, are crucial to the development of scalable quantum technologies. In this work, we report on a modified Stranski-Krastanov growth scheme using chemical beam epitaxy to enable the generation of high-quality InAs/InP quantum dots, characterized by near-transform-limited linewidths ($\Gamma_{\mathrm{TL}}$). We demonstrate the growth of highly-symmetric quantum dots with aspect ratios >0.8 and densities ranging from 2 to 22$\,\mu$m$^{-2}$. Optical characterization of these sources reveal fine-structure splittings down to $25\pm4\,\mu$eV and a single-photon purity of $g^{(2)}(0) = 0.012\pm\mathrm{0.007}$, confirming the quality of these dots. Further, using an etalon to measure the linewidth, in combination with rigorous modelling, we find an upper-bound to the mean, low-power linewidths of only $12.1\pm 6.7\,\Gamma_\mathrm{TL}$ and, in the best case, $2.8\pm 1.8\,\Gamma_\mathrm{TL}$. These results represent a significant step in the development of telecom-wavelength quantum light sources which are essential for complex quantum networks and devices.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

On-demand single photon emission in the telecom C-band from nanowire-based quantum dots

Single photon sources operating on-demand at telecom wavelengths are required in fiber-based quantum secure communication technologies. In this work we demonstrate single photon emission from position-controlled nanowire quantum dots emitting at λ > 1530 nm. Using above-band pulsed excitation, we obtain single photon purities of g(2)(0) = 0.062. These results represent an important step towards the scalable manufacture of high efficiency, high rate single photon emitters in the telecom C-band.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

On-chip indistinguishable photons using III-V nanowire/SiN hybrid integration

We demonstrate on-chip generation of indistinguishable photons based on a nanowire quantum dot. From a growth substrate containing arrays of positioned-controlled single dot nanowires, we select a single nanowire which is placed on a SiN waveguide fabricated on a Si-based chip. Coupling of the quantum dot emission to the SiN waveguide is via the evanescent mode in the tapered nanowire. Post-selected two-photon interference visibilities using continuous wave excitation above-band and into a p-shell of the dot were 100%, consistent with a single photon source having negligible multi-photon emission probability. Visibilities over the entire photon wavepacket, measured using pulsed excitation, were reduced by a factor of 5 when exciting quasi-resonantly and by a factor of 10 for above-band excitation. The role of excitation timing jitter, spectral diffusion and pure dephasing in limiting visibilities over the temporal extent of the photon is investigated using additional measurements of the coherence and linewidth of the emitted photons.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Position-controlled Telecom Single Photon Emitters Operating at Elevated Temperatures

Single photon emitters are a key component for enabling the practical use of quantum key distribution protocols for secure communications. For long-haul optical networks it is imperative to use photons at wavelengths that are compatible with standard single mode fibers: 1.31 μm and 1.55 μm. We demonstrate high purity single photon emission at 1.31 μm using deterministically positioned InP photonic waveguide nanowires containing single InAsP quantum dot-in-a-rod structures. At 4 K the detected count rate in fiber was 1.9 Mcps under above-band pulsed laser excitation at 80 MHz corresponding to a single photon collection efficiency at the first lens of 25%. At this count rate, the probability of multiphoton emission is g(2)(0) = 0.021. We have also evaluated the performance of the source as a function of temperature. Multiphoton emission probability increases with temperature with values of 0.11, 0.34 and 0.57 at 77 K, 220 K and 300 K, respectively, which is attributed to an overlap of temperature-broadened excitonic emission lines. These results are a promising step towards scalably fabricating telecom single photon emitters that operate under relaxed cooling requirements.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Approaching transform-limited photons from nanowire quantum dots excited above-band

We demonstrate that, even when employing above-band excitation, photons emitted from semiconductor quantum dots can have linewidths that approach their transform-limited values. This is accomplished by using quantum dots embedded in bottom-up photonic nanowires, an approach which mitigates several potential mechanisms that can result in linewidth broadening: (i) only a single quantum dot is present in each device, (ii) dot nucleation proceeds without the formation of a wetting layer, and (iii) the sidewalls of the photonic nanowire are comprised not of etched facets, but of epitaxially grown crystal planes. Using these structures we achieve linewidths of 2x the transform limit, unprecedented for above-band excitation. We also demonstrate a highly nonlinear dependence of the linewidth on both excitation power and temperature which can be described by an independent Boson model that considers both deformation and piezoelectric exciton-phonon coupling. We find that for sufficiently low excitation powers and temperatures, the observed excess broadening is not dominated by phonon dephasing, a surprising result considering the high phonon occupation that occurs with above-band excitation.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Magnetic tuning of tunnel coupling between InAsP double quantum dots in InP nanowires

We study experimentally and theoretically the in-plane magnetic field dependence of the coupling between dots forming a vertically stacked double dot molecule. The InAsP molecule is grown epitaxially in an InP nanowire and interrogated optically at millikelvin temperatures. The strength of interdot tunneling, leading to the formation of the bonding-antibonding pair of molecular orbitals, is investigated by adjusting the sample geometry. For specific geometries, we show that the interdot coupling can be controlled in-situ using a magnetic field-mediated redistribution of interdot coupling strengths. This is an important milestone in the development of qubits required in future quantum information technologies.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Unity yield of deterministically positioned quantum dot single photon sources

We report on a platform for the production of single photon devices with a fabrication yield of 100%. The sources are based on InAsP quantum dots embedded within position-controlled bottom-up InP nanowires. Using optimized growth conditions, we produce large arrays of structures having highly uniform geometries. Collection efficiencies are as high as 83% and multiphoton emission probabilities as low as 0.6% with the distribution away from optimal values associated with the excitation of other charge complexes and re-excitation processes, respectively, inherent to the above-band excitation employed. Importantly, emission peak lineshapes have Lorentzian profiles indicating that linewidths are not limited by inhomogeneous broadening but rather pure dephasing, likely elastic carrier-phonon scattering due to a high phonon occupation. This work establishes nanowire-based devices as a viable route for the scalable fabrication of efficient single photon sources and provides a valuable resource for hybrid on-chip platforms currently being developed.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Optical fibre-based (plug-and-play) single photon source using InAsP quantum dot nanowires and gradient-index lens collection

We present a compact, fibre-coupled single photon source using gradient-index (GRIN) lenses and an InAsP semiconductor quantum dot embedded within an InP photonic nanowire waveguide. A GRIN lens assembly is used to collect photons close to the tip of the nanowire, coupling the light immediately into a single mode optical fibre. The system provides a stable, high brightness source of fibre-coupled single photons. Using pulsed excitation, we demonstrate on-demand operation with a single photon purity of 98.5% when exciting at saturation in a device with a source-fibre collection efficiency of 35% and an overall single photon collection efficiency of 10%. We also demonstrate "plug and play" operation using room temperature photoluminescence from the InP nanowire for room temperature alignment.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

Enhancing secure key rates of satellite QKD using a quantum dot single-photon source

Global quantum secure communication can be achieved using quantum key distribution (QKD) with orbiting satellites. Established techniques use attenuated lasers as weak coherent pulse (WCP) sources, with so-called decoy-state protocols, to generate the required single-photon-level pulses. While such approaches are elegant, they come at the expense of attainable final key due to inherent multi-photon emission, thereby constraining secure key generation over the high-loss, noisy channels expected for satellite transmissions. In this work we improve on this limitation by using true single-photon pulses generated from a semiconductor quantum dot (QD) embedded in a nanowire, possessing low multi-photon emission ($<10^{-6}$) and an extraction system efficiency of -15 dB (or 3.1%). Despite the limited efficiency, the key generated by the QD source is greater than that generated by a WCP source under identical repetition rate and link conditions representative of a satellite pass. We predict that with realistic improvements of the QD extraction efficiency to -4.0 dB (or 40%), the quantum-dot QKD protocol outperforms WCP-decoy-state QKD by almost an order of magnitude. Consequently, a QD source could allow generation of a secure key in conditions where a WCP source would simply fail, such as in the case of high channel losses. Our demonstration is the first specific use case that shows a clear benefit for QD-based single-photon sources in secure quantum communication, and has the potential to enhance the viability and efficiency of satellite-based QKD networks.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Theory and experiments of coherent photon coupling in semiconductor nanowire waveguides with quantum dot molecules

We present a quantum optics theory, numerical calculations, and experiments on coupled quantumdots in semiconductor nanowire waveguides. We first present an analytical Green function theory tocompute the emitted spectra of two coupled quantum dots, treated as point dipoles, fully accountingfor retardation effects, and demonstrate the signatures of coherent and incoherent coupling througha pronounced splitting of the uncoupled quantum dot resonances and modified spectral broadening.In the weak excitation regime, the classical Green functions used in models are verified and justifiedthrough full 3D solutions of Maxwell equations for nanowire waveguides, specifically using finite-difference time-domain techniques, showing how both waveguide modes and near-field evanescentmode coupling is important. The theory exploits an ensemble-based quantum description, and andan intuitive eigenmode-expansion based Maxwell theory. We then demonstrate how the molecularresonances (in the presence of coupling) take on the form of bright and dark (or quasi-dark) reso-nances, and study how these depend on the excitation and detection conditions. To go beyond theweak excitation regime, we also introduce a quantum master equation approach to model the non-linear spectra from an increasing incoherent pump field, which shows the role of the pump field onthe oscillator strengths and broadening of the molecular resonances, with and without pure dephas-ing. Next, we present experimental photoluminescence spectra for spatially-separated quantum dotmolecules (InAsP) in InP nanowires, which show clear signatures of pronounced splittings, thoughthey also highlight additional mechanisms that are not accounted for in the dipole-dipole couplingmodel. Two different approaches are taken to control the spatial separation of the quantum dotmolecules, and we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2018

Monolithic integration of single photon sources via evanescent coupling of tapered InP nanowires to SiN waveguides

We demonstrate a method to monolithically integrate nanowire-based quantum dot single photon sources on-chip using evanescent coupling. By deterministically placing an appropriately tapered III-V nanowire waveguide, containing a single quantum dot, on top of a silicon-based ridge waveguide, the quantum dot emission can be transferred to the ridge waveguide with calculated efficiencies close to 100%. As the evanescent coupling is bidirectional, the source can be optically pumped in both free-space and through the ridge waveguide. The latter onfiguration provides a self-contained, all-fiber, single photon source suitable as a plug-and-play solution for applications requiring bright, on-demand single photons. Using InAsP quantum dots embedded in InP nanowire waveguides, we demonstrate coupling efficiencies to a SiN ridge waveguide of 74% with a single photon purity of 97%.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2018

Bright single InAsP quantum dots at telecom wavelengths in position-controlled InP nanowires: the role of the photonic waveguide

We report on the site-selected growth of bright single InAsP quantum dots embedded within InP photonic nanowire waveguides emitting at telecom wavelengths. We demonstrate a dramatic dependence of the emission rate on both the emission wavelength and the nanowire diameter. With an appropriately designed waveguide, tailored to the emission wavelength of the dot, an increase in count rate by nearly two orders of magnitude (0.4kcps to 35kcps) is obtained for quantum dots emitting in the telecom O-band. Using emission-wavelength-optimised waveguides, we demonstrate bright, narrow linewidth emission from single InAsP quantum dots with an unprecedented tuning range from 880nm to 1550nm. These results pave the way towards efficient single photon sources at telecom wavelengths using deterministically grown InAsP/InP nanowire quantum dots.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

A Semiconductor Under Insulator Technology in Indium Phosphide

This Letter introduces a Semiconductor-Under-Insulator (SUI) technology in InP for designing strip waveguides that interface InP photonic crystal membrane structures. Strip waveguides in InP-SUI are supported under an atomic layer deposited insulator layer in contrast to strip waveguides in silicon supported on insulator. We show a substantial improvement in optical transmission when using InP-SUI strip waveguides interfaced with localized photonic crystal membrane structures when compared with extended photonic crystal waveguide membranes. Furthermore, SUI makes available various fiber-coupling techniques used in SOI, such as sub-micron coupling, for planar membrane III-V systems.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2009

All-optical conditional logic with a nonlinear photonic crystal nanocavity

We demonstrate tunable frequency-converted light mediated by a chi-(2) nonlinear photonic crystal nanocavity. The wavelength-scale InP-based cavity supports two closely-spaced localized modes near 1550 nm which are resonantly excited by a 130 fs laser pulse. The cavity is simultaneously irradiated with a non-resonant probe beam, giving rise to rich second-order scattering spectra reflecting nonlinear mixing of the different resonant and non-resonant components. In particular, we highlight the radiation at the sum frequencies of the probe beam and the respective cavity modes. This would be a useful, minimally-invasive monitor of the joint occupancy state of multiple cavities in an integrated optical circuit.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2007

Voltage Induced Hidden Symmetry and Photon Entanglement Generation in a Single, Site-Selected Quantum Dot

Present proposals for the realisation of entangled photon pair sources using the radiative decay of the biexciton in semiconductor quantum dots are limited by the need to enforce degeneracy of the two intermediate, single exciton states. We show how this requirement is lifted if the biexciton binding energy can be tuned to zero and we demonstrate this unbinding of the biexciton in a single, pre-positioned InAs quantum dot subject to a lateral electric field. Full Configuration-Interaction calculations are presented that reveal how the biexciton is unbound through manipulation of the electron-hole Coulomb interaction and the consequent introduction of Hidden Symmetry.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2006

Second-order nonlinear mixing in planar photonic crystal microcavities

Second-harmonic and sum-frequency mixing phenomena associated with 3D-localized photonic modes are studied in InP-based planar photonic crystal microcavities excited by short-pulse radiation near 1550 nm. Three-missing-hole microcavities that support two closely-spaced modes exhibit rich second-order scattering spectra that reflect intra- and inter-mode mixing via the bulk InP chi(2) during ring-down after excitation by the broadband, resonant pulse. Simultaneous excitation with a non-resonant source results in tunable second-order radiation from the microcavity.

physics.optics↗