A Cooper pair light emitting diode

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that Cooper pairs can significantly enhance radiative recombination in a semiconductor light emitting diode, opening new interdisciplinary avenues between superconductivity and optoelectronics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel Cooper-pair light emitting diode that leverages superconducting electron pairs to boost photon emission rates.

Findings

Enhanced photon generation rates due to Cooper pairs

Recombination involving Cooper pairs accelerates electric-dipole transitions

Potential for new superconductivity-optoelectronics interdisciplinary research

Abstract

We demonstrate Cooper-pair's drastic enhancement effect on band-to-band radiative recombination in a semiconductor. Electron Cooper pairs injected from a superconducting electrode into an active layer by the proximity effect recombine with holes injected from a p-type electrode and dramatically accelerate the photon generation rates of a light emitting diode in the optical-fiber communication band. Cooper pairs are the condensation of electrons at a spin-singlet quantum state and this condensation leads to the observed enhancement of the electric-dipole transitions. Our results indicate the possibility to open up new interdisciplinary fields between superconductivity and optoelectronics.