Plug&play fibre-coupled 73 kHz single-photon source operating in the telecom O-band

TL;DR

This paper presents a user-friendly, fibre-coupled single-photon source operating at 1.3 micrometers with high efficiency and low multiphoton probability, suitable for quantum communication networks.

Contribution

The development of a compact, ready-to-use quantum dot-based single-photon source integrated into a fibre with high emission rate and low multiphoton probability at telecom wavelengths.

Findings

Single-photon emission rate up to 73 kHz

Multiphoton probability as low as 0.15

Fibre-coupled device suitable for quantum networks

Abstract

A user-friendly fibre-coupled single-photon source operating at telecom wavelengths is a key component of photonic quantum networks providing long-haul ultra-secure data exchange. To take full advantage of quantum-mechanical data protection and to maximize the transmission rate and distance, a true quantum source providing single-photons on demand is highly desirable. We tackle this great challenge by developing a ready to use semiconductor quantum dot (QD)-based device that launches single photons at a wavelength of 1.3 um directly into a single-mode optical fibre. In our approach the QD is deterministically integrated into a nanophotonic structure to ensure efficient on-chip coupling into a fibre. The whole arrangement is integrated into a 19" compatible housing to enable stand-alone operation by cooling via a compact Stirling cryocooler. The realized source delivers single photons with multiphoton events probability as low as 0.15 and single-photon emission rate up to 73 kHz into a standard telecom single-mode fibre.