A photon generating device composed of a quantum dot and a metamaterial element

Abstract

We propose a single photon generating device composed of one quantum dot (QD) and one metamaterial element. Simulation by finite-difference time-domain method confirmed that the emission of the QD is controlled by the interaction with the localized surface plasmon of the metamaterial. A metamaterial element of double split ring structure was prototyped using electron beam lithography. We successfully trapped a silica-coated QD of 70 nm in diameter at the center of the double split ring. The emission peak wavelength of the device with a small number of QDs on the metamaterial element hardly changed between 160 K and 280 K as compared with the case of a QD ensemble. Significantly enhanced emission was observed at 220 K. The results can be explained as the emission of the device being dominated by the localized surface plasmon resonance of the metamaterial.