Controlled growth of rare-earth-doped TiO$_{2}$ thin films on III-V semiconductors for hybrid quantum photonic interfaces

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a low-temperature epitaxial growth method for Er$^{3+}$-doped TiO$_{2}$ thin films on III-V semiconductors, enabling integration of quantum memories with photon sources for scalable quantum photonics.

Contribution

It introduces a controlled growth process for epitaxial Er$^{3+}$-doped TiO$_{2}$ on GaAs and GaSb, overcoming lattice mismatch and growth challenges for hybrid quantum photonic interfaces.

Findings

Successful low-temperature epitaxial growth of anatase TiO$_{2}$ with smooth surfaces.

Verification of Er$^{3+}$ optical activation via spectroscopy.

Preservation of quantum dot functionality on III-V substrates.

Abstract

Quantum photonic networks require two distinct functionalities: bright single-photon sources and long-lived quantum memories. III-V semiconductor quantum dots excel as deterministic and coherent photon emitters, while rare-earth ions such as erbium (Er$^{3+}$) in crystalline oxides offer exceptional spin and optical coherence at telecom wavelengths. Combining these systems and their functionalities via direct epitaxy is challenging due to lattice mismatch and incompatible growth conditions. Here we demonstrate low-temperature pulsed laser deposition of Er$^{3+}$-doped TiO$_{2}$ thin films directly on GaAs and GaSb substrates. Controlled surface preparation with an arsenic cap and an oxygen-deficient buffer layer enables the growth of epitaxial anatase TiO$_{2}$ (001) at 390$^{o}$C with sub-300 pm surface roughness, while avoiding interface degradation. In contrast, high-temperature oxide desorption or growth temperatures drive the transition to rough, polycrystalline rutile film, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Minimal coincident interface area (MCIA) modeling explains the orientation-selective growth on GaAs and GaSb. Raman and cryogenic photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy verify the crystal phase and optical activation of Er$^{3+}$ ions. This multi-parameter growth strategy helps preserve III-V quantum dot functionality and yields smooth surfaces suitable for low-loss nanophotonic structures. Our results establish a materials platform for monolithically integrating rare-earth quantum memories with semiconductor photon sources, paving the way toward scalable hybrid quantum photonic chips.