Solid-state single photon sources: the nanowire antenna

Opt Express. 2009 Feb 16;17(4):2095-110. doi: 10.1364/oe.17.002095.

Abstract

We design several single-photon-sources based on the emission of a quantum dot embedded in a semiconductor (GaAs) nanowire. Through various taper designs, we engineer the nanowire ends to realize efficient metallic-dielectric mirrors and to reduce the divergence of the far-field radiation diagram. Using fully-vectorial calculations and a comprehensive Fabry-Perot model, we show that various realistic nanowire geometries may act as nanoantennas (volume of approximately 0.05 lambda(3)) that assist funnelling the emitted photons into a single monomode channel. Typically, very high extraction efficiencies above 90% are predicted for a collection optics with a numerical aperture NA=0.85. In addition, since no frequency-selective effect is used in our design, this large efficiency is achieved over a remarkably broad spectral range, Deltalambda=70 nm at lambda=950 nm.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Lasers*
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Nanotechnology / instrumentation*
  • Particle Size
  • Quantum Dots*
  • Refractometry / instrumentation*
  • Semiconductors