Resonance Fluorescence of GaAs Quantum Dots with Near-Unity Photon Indistinguishability

Nano Lett. 2019 Apr 10;19(4):2404-2410. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b05132. Epub 2019 Mar 21.

Abstract

Photonic quantum technologies call for scalable quantum light sources that can be integrated, while providing the end user with single and entangled photons on demand. One promising candidate is strain free GaAs/AlGaAs quantum dots obtained by aluminum droplet etching. Such quantum dots exhibit ultra low multi-photon probability and an unprecedented degree of photon pair entanglement. However, different to commonly studied InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots obtained by the Stranski-Krastanow mode, photons with a near-unity indistinguishability from these quantum emitters have proven to be elusive so far. Here, we show on-demand generation of near-unity indistinguishable photons from these quantum emitters by exploring pulsed resonance fluorescence. Given the short intrinsic lifetime of excitons and trions confined in the GaAs quantum dots, we show single photon indistinguishability with a raw visibility of [Formula: see text], without the need for Purcell enhancement. Our results represent a milestone in the advance of GaAs quantum dots by demonstrating the final missing property standing in the way of using these emitters as a key component in quantum communication applications, e.g., as quantum light sources for quantum repeater architectures.

Keywords: Al droplet etching; Semiconductor quantum dot; indistinguishable photons; resonance fluorescence.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't