Perspective of self-assembled InGaAs quantum-dots for multi-source quantum implementations

Abstract

In recent years, semiconductor quantum dots have demonstrated their potential to reach the goal of being an ideal source of single and entangled photon pairs. Exciting reports of near unity entanglement fidelity, close to unity photon indistinguishability, and high collection efficiency in nanophotonic structures have been demonstrated by several distinct groups, showing unequivocally the maturity of this technology. To achieve the required complexity and scalability in realistic quantum photonic implementations, two-photon interference of photons from multi-sources must be reached. While high indistinguishability values have been observed for photons generated from the same source within a relatively short time separation, achieving similar visibility for larger time separation or in multi-source experiments still requires intensive efforts. In fact, the coupling to the particular mesoscopic environment of charge carriers confined in the quantum dot leads to decoherence processes, which limit the quantum interference effects to a short time window. Here, we discuss the progress in studying the dynamics of this decoherence, which crucially depends on the evolution of line broadening in high-quality self-assembled InGaAs quantum dots. Characterization of line broadening mechanisms is the first fundamental step to be able to counteract them. Optimization of the growth and active and passive control of the radiative transitions are crucial for the technological readiness of non-classical light sources based on semiconductor platforms.