Chapter Nine - Electrical control of semiconductor quantum dot single photon sources

Abstract

Abstract Single semiconductor quantum dots are a promising technology for applications in quantum cryptography, quantum imaging and optical quantum information processing. Through almost 3 decades of research, their performance has advanced to the point where they can efficiently generate single photons, indistinguishable photons, entangled pairs and spin–photon entanglement. Key to these advances are heterostructures that take advantage of the semiconductor platform to control the properties of the dots within diodes. This chapter will review the use of diodes to control the gross energies of photon emitting transitions, the internal energies of the dots, the ability to controllably add charge and the creation of electroluminescence. Examples are given using Indium Arsenide self-assembled quantum dots grown on gallium arsenide, as these are the most widely studied variety. However, the same physical principles apply to other materials such as InAs/InP, GaAs/AlAs, droplet epitaxy quantum dots and other materials systems. Finally, we shall review some publications that combine these functions into a single device.