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Phonon scattering inhibits simultaneous near-unity efficiency and indistinguishability in semiconductor single-photon sources

Nature Photonics volume 11, pages 521–526 (2017)Cite this article

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Abstract

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have recently emerged as a leading platform to generate highly indistinguishable photons efficiently, and this work addresses the timely question of how good these solid-state sources can ultimately be. We establish the crucial role of lattice relaxation in these systems in giving rise to trade-offs between indistinguishability and efficiency. We analyse the two source architectures most commonly employed: a QD embedded in a waveguide and a QD coupled to an optical cavity. For waveguides, we demonstrate that the broadband Purcell effect results in a simple inverse relationship, in which indistinguishability and efficiency cannot be simultaneously increased. For cavities, the frequency selectivity of the Purcell enhancement results in a more subtle trade-off, in which indistinguishability and efficiency can be increased simultaneously, although not arbitrarily, which limits a source with near-unity indistinguishability (>99%) to an efficiency of approximately 96% for realistic parameters.

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Figure 1: Lattice relaxation in QDs and the phonon SB.
Figure 2: Single-photon source architectures and emission spectra.
Figure 3: Indistinguishability and efficiency of the three source set-ups shown in Fig. 2.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank N. Gregersen for useful discussions. J.I.-S. and J.M. acknowledge support from the Danish Research Council (DFF-4181-00416) and Villum Fonden (NATEC Centre, grant 8692). A.N. is supported by the University of Manchester and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, grant number EP/N008154/1. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 703193.

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Author notes

  1. Jake Iles-Smith and Dara P. S. McCutcheon: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Photonics Engineering, DTU Fotonik, Ørsteds Plads, Kongens Lyngby, 2800, Denmark

    Jake Iles-Smith & Jesper Mørk

  2. H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory and Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Quantum Engineering Technology Labs, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1FD, UK

    Dara P. S. McCutcheon

  3. Photon Science Institute & School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

    Ahsan Nazir

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Correspondence to Jake Iles-Smith.

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Iles-Smith, J., McCutcheon, D., Nazir, A. et al. Phonon scattering inhibits simultaneous near-unity efficiency and indistinguishability in semiconductor single-photon sources. Nature Photon 11, 521–526 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2017.101

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