Quantum light and in particular single photons have become essential resources for a growing number of quantum applications including quantum computing, quantum key distribution and quantum metrology. Solid-state atomlike systems such as semiconductor quantum dots and color defects in crystals have become the hallmark of highly pure single photon emitters in the past two decades. A particular interest has been developed in nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs) and color centers in diamond as potential compact room-temperature emitters. There are however several challenges that inhibit the use of such sources in current technologies including low photon extraction efficiency, low emission rates and relatively low single photon purities. In this work we will review our efforts in overcoming these technical difficulties using several complementary methods including designing several nanoantenna devices that enhance the directionality and emission rate of the nanoemitter. In addition, we developed several temporal heralding techniques to overcome the hurdle of low single photon purity in NQDs in an effort to produce a highly pure, bright and efficient single photon source on-chip.

Date Published: 18 September 2018
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 10729, Optical Sensing, Imaging, and Photon Counting: From X-Rays to THz, 107290E (18 September 2018); doi: 10.1117/12.2322131

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10729:
Optical Sensing, Imaging, and Photon Counting: From X-Rays to THz
Oleg Mitrofanov; Chee Hing Tan; José Luis Pau Vizcaíno; Manijeh Razeghi, Editor(s)