Highly efficient single photon emission from single quantum dots within a two-dimensional photonic bandgap

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates highly efficient single photon emission from quantum dots embedded in a two-dimensional photonic crystal, achieving significantly improved photon extraction efficiency without complex positioning.

Contribution

It introduces a method to enhance quantum dot single photon sources using photonic bandgap structures, avoiding complex nanopositioning.

Findings

Photon extraction efficiency up to 26%

17-fold enhancement in photon emission

Suppressed multiphoton probability

Abstract

We report highly efficient single photon generation from InGaAs self-assembled quantum dots emitting within a two-dimensional photonic bandgap. A strongly suppressed multiphoton probability is obtained for single quantum dots in bulk GaAs and those emitting into the photonic bandgap. In the latter case, photoluminescence saturation spectroscopy is employed to measure a ~17 times enhancement of the average photon extraction efficiency, when compared to quantum dots in bulk GaAs. For quantum dots in the photonic crystal we measure directly an external quantum efficiency up to 26%, much higher than for quantum dots on the same sample without a tailored photonic environment. The results show that highly efficient quantum dot single photon sources can be realized, without the need for complex nanopositioning techniques.