Slow-light Enhanced Correlated Photon-Pair Generation in Silicon

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a compact silicon photonic crystal waveguide that uses slow-light effects to efficiently generate correlated photon pairs at telecom wavelengths, suitable for scalable quantum information processing.

Contribution

It introduces a novel dispersion-engineered silicon waveguide that enhances photon-pair generation via slow-light, achieving high efficiency in a device less than 100 micrometers long.

Findings

Photon pairs generated at a rate of 0.006 per pulse

Coincidence to accidental ratio of 12.8

Device is suitable for on-chip quantum information applications

Abstract

We report the generation of correlated photon pairs in the telecom C-band, at room temperature, from a dispersion-engineered silicon photonic crystal waveguide. The spontaneous four-wave mixing process producing the photon pairs is enhanced by slow-light propagation enabling an active device length of less than 100 {\mu}m. With a coincidence to accidental ratio of 12.8, at a pair generation rate of 0.006 per pulse, this ultra-compact photon pair source is immediately applicable towards scalable quantum information processing realized on-chip.