Highly efficient heralded single-photon source for telecom wavelengths based on a PPLN waveguide

Abstract

We present the realization of a highly efficient photon pair source based on spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC) in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) ridge waveguide. The source is suitable for long distance quantum communication applications as the photon pairs are located at the centers of the telecommunication O- and C- band at 1312 nm and 1557 nm. The high efficiency is confirmed by a conversion efficiency of 4 × 10^-6 - which is to our knowledge among the highest conversion efficiencies reported so far - and a heralding efficiency of 64.1 ± 2.1%. The heralded single-photon properties are confirmed by the measurement of the photon statistics with a Click/No-Click method as well as the heralded g⁽²⁾-function. A minimum value for g⁽²⁾(0) of 0.001 ± 0.0003 indicating clear antibunching has been observed.

Optoelectronics of Color Centers in Diamond and Silicon Carbide: From Single‐Photon Luminescence to Electrically Controlled Spin Qubits

“…Despite that single-photons can be generated using spontaneous parametric downconversion at a rate of up to 10 6 photons per second, [18,19] this approach does not allow to produce single photons on demand, that is, in response to an external trigger signal. At the same time, an ideal single-photon source, which is required for most quantum information devices, should emit strictly one photon with a probability of 100% at any arbitrary time defined by the user.…”

InP-Substrate-Based Quantum Dashes on a DBR as Single-Photon Emitters at the Third Telecommunication Window

“…An ideal SPS is characterized by high purity of a single-photon emission (minimized multiphoton emission events) and high brightness. The most common type of SPS based on spontaneous parametric down conversion allow for relatively high purity of single-photon emission but with rather low brightness due to low conversion efficiency [2,3]. The reason is the probabilistic process of photon generation, which prevents reaching the requirements of on-demand single-photon emission [4,5].…”

Thermal stability of emission from single InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots at the telecom O-band

“…Other approaches for telecom wavelength SPSs, despite their single-photon emission at room temperature, have their own drawbacks, e.g., atomic sources suffer from probabilistic nature of emission events 33 , random direction of emission and low radiative rates. One has to keep in mind that widely used process of parametric down-conversion 34 is also a probabilistic photon generation scheme, which is also under development in the telecom.…”