Engineering AlGaAs-on-insulator towards quantum optical applications

TL;DR

This paper explores the development of AlGaAs-on-insulator platforms with enhanced nonlinear optical properties for quantum applications, demonstrating potential improvements in photon pair generation and strong nonlinear regimes.

Contribution

It introduces a novel AlGaAs-on-insulator platform optimized for quantum optical interactions, combining mature nanofabrication with high nonlinearities.

Findings

Simulations show improved pair generation efficiency.

Potential for accessing strong nonlinear photon regimes.

Enhanced waveguide confinement for quantum optics.

Abstract

Aluminum gallium arsenide has highly desirable properties for integrated parametric optical interactions: large material nonlinearities, maturely established nanoscopic structuring through epitaxial growth and lithography, and a large band gap for broadband low-loss operation. However, its full potential for record-strength nonlinear interactions is only released when the semiconductor is embedded within a dielectric cladding to produce highly confining waveguides. From simulations of such, we present second and third order pair generation that could improve upon state-of-the-art quantum optical sources and make novel regimes of strong parametric photon-photon nonlinearities accessible.