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On-demand semiconductor single-photon source with near-unity indistinguishability

Nature Nanotechnology volume 8, pages 213–217 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Single-photon sources based on semiconductor quantum dots offer distinct advantages for quantum information, including a scalable solid-state platform, ultrabrightness and interconnectivity with matter qubits. A key prerequisite for their use in optical quantum computing and solid-state networks is a high level of efficiency and indistinguishability. Pulsed resonance fluorescence has been anticipated as the optimum condition for the deterministic generation of high-quality photons with vanishing effects of dephasing. Here, we generate pulsed single photons on demand from a single, microcavity-embedded quantum dot under s-shell excitation with 3 ps laser pulses. The π pulse-excited resonance-fluorescence photons have less than 0.3% background contribution and a vanishing two-photon emission probability. Non-postselective Hong–Ou–Mandel interference between two successively emitted photons is observed with a visibility of 0.97(2), comparable to trapped atoms and ions. Two single photons are further used to implement a high-fidelity quantum controlled-NOT gate.

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Figure 1: Rabi oscillation and antibunching.
Figure 2: Spectra of the pulsed RF.
Figure 3: Non-postselective HOM-type interference between two pulsed RF single photons.
Figure 4: Realization of a quantum CNOT gate using pulsed RF single photons.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Y. Yu, Z. Xi, J. Bowles, K. Chen, C. Matthiesen, X-L. Wang, L-J. Wang, N. Vamivakas and Y. Zhao for helpful discussions. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the National Fundamental Research Program (grant nos 2011CB921300, 2013CB933300), and the State of Bavaria. M.A. acknowledges the CAS visiting professorship. C-Y.L. acknowledges the Anhui Natural Science Foundation and Youth Qianren Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China

    Yu-Ming He, Yu He, Yu-Jia Wei, Dian Wu, Mete Atatüre, Chao-Yang Lu & Jian-Wei Pan

  2. Cavendish Laboratory, JJ Thomson Avenue, University of Cambridge, CB3 0HE, Cambridge, UK

    Mete Atatüre & Chao-Yang Lu

  3. Technische Physik, Physikalisches Institut and Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen-Center for Complex Material Systems, Universität Würzburg, Am Hubland, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany

    Christian Schneider, Sven Höfling & Martin Kamp

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Contributions

M.A., C-Y.L. and J-W.P. conceived and designed the experiments. C.S., S.H. and M.K. grew and fabricated the sample. Y-M.H., Y.H., Y-J.W., D.W., M.A. and C-Y.L. carried out the optical experiments. Y-M.H., S.H., C-Y.L. and J-W.P. analysed the data. C-Y.L. wrote the manuscript, with input from all authors. S.H., C-Y.L. and J-W.P. guided the project.

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Correspondence to Sven Höfling, Chao-Yang Lu or Jian-Wei Pan.

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He, YM., He, Y., Wei, YJ. et al. On-demand semiconductor single-photon source with near-unity indistinguishability. Nature Nanotech 8, 213–217 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2012.262

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