Michal Bajcsy, Stanford University
Abstract
Photonic nano-structures can control the flow of photons in a way that was until recently impossible. Interactions of single quantum emitters, as well as ensembles of emitters, with individual nano-photonic structures have been reported extensively over the last few years. Developing these proof-of-principle platforms into more complex, integrated, and practical devices that can be scaled into large architectures will require solving a host of challenging problems.
I will introduce our recent experiments with single, self-assembled InAs quantum dots embedded in GaAs photonic-crystal nanocavities. This coupled cavity-dot system enables interactions between single photons, which we have used to demonstrate high-speed all- optical switching at ultra-low powers and generation of non-classical light. The small size of the photonic-crystal cavities and their compatibility with semiconductor fabrication processes make the coupled cavity-dot platform an excellent candidate for scaling up to more complex systems needed for practical devices, with requirements such as cascadability and fan-out. As a first step toward a network of interacting nonlinear cavities, we demonstrated strong coupling of a single quantum dot to a pair of proximity- coupled cavities. Lastly, I will describe additional cavity-free experimental platforms based on waveguides and ensembles of quantum emitters, and discuss possible strategies for the development and applications of scalable quantum technology systems.