Integrated single photon circuits with electrical light source (Conference Presentation)

Abstract

Quantum photonic circuits based on nanophotonic components hold promise for overcoming scalability limitations in optical quantum systems. Functional systems will require the co-integration of single photon sources, detectors and tunable photonic components. Waveguide integrated single photon detectors based on superconducting nanowires (SNSPDs) have been shown to fulfill the demanding requirements for on-chip quantum photonics. Because they provide very wide optical detection bandwidth, their use with optically pumped single photon sources poses severe challenges for on-chip filtering. We overcome these challenges by co-integrating electrically driven single photon sources with superconducting detectors. Single photon sources with nanoscale footprint are realized by depositing electrically contacted carbon nanotubes (CNTs) across nanophotonic waveguides. CNTs under electrical current bias are shown to emit non-classical light which is coupled efficiently into the underlying photonic framework. The CNTs are shown to provide high count rates in the MHz range. The statistical characterization of the CNT light source crucially relies on the high timing resolution of the SNSPDs which allows for measuring photon statistics for emitters with sub-100ps lifetime. The combination of top-down nanofabrication with deposition by electrophoresis provides a waferscale approach for realizing non-classical circuits on chip. Such hybrid quantum photonic devices therefore hold promise for realizing complex integrated devices without additional optical input ports.