Photostable molecules on chip: Integrated single photon sources for quantum technologies

Abstract

The on-chip integration of quantum light sources and nonlinear elements poses a serious challenge to the development of a scalable photonic platform for quantum information and communication. In this work we demonstrate the potential of a novel hybrid technology which combines single organic molecules as quantum emitters and dielectric chips, consisting of ridge waveguides and grating far-field couplers. Dibenzoterrylene molecules in thin anthracene crystals exhibit long-term photostability, easy fabrication methods, almost unitary quantum yield and life-time limited emission at cryogenic temperatures. We couple such single emitters to silicon nitride ridge waveguide with a coupling efficiency of up to 42 ± 2 %, considering both propagation directions. The platform is devised to support both on-chip and free-space single photon processing.

Self-Assembled Nanocrystals of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Show Photostable Single-Photon Emission

“…On the other hand, advanced nanophotonic applications are emerging based on the generation, manipulation, and detection of single photons. , Indeed, leveraging single-photon statistics and quantum coherence for subdiffraction imaging, quantum cryptography, simulation, enhanced precision measurements, and information processing has become a roadmap target for the next 10–20 years . Single-photon sources based on quantum emitters hold promise for these applications because of their on-demand operation. − However, despite great efforts in the last years to attain controllable sources by coupling solid-state emitters to nanophotonic structures, each platform benefits either the freedom in the device design − or the quality of single-photon emission. , Deterministic positioning and control of quantum emitters remains elusive for epitaxial quantum dots, − color centers in bulk diamond, , and organic molecules in crystalline matrices. − On the other hand, versatile approaches based on available NCs present important shortcomings with respect to single-photon applications. Photoinduced charge rearrangements in the passivation layer and in the environment of inorganic semiconductor quantum-dot NCs , lead to spectral instability of the exciton line, hindering basic quantum optics operations with the emitted photons.…”

Quantum optics with single molecules in a three-dimensional polymeric platform

“…Single PAHs are excellent candidates as non-classical light sources [23][24][25][26], non-linear elements at the few photon level [27][28][29] and nano-scale sensors for electric fields, pressure and strain [19,[30][31][32]. Recently they have been successfully integrated in open optical cavities [29,33] and antennas [34] and evanescently coupled to nanoguides [35,36] and waveguides [37][38][39]. Here, in Fig.…”

Photostable single-photon emission from self-assembled nanocrystals of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

“…24,25 Deterministic positioning and control of quantum emitters remains elusive for epitaxial quantum dots, [26][27][28][29] color centers in bulk diamond 30,31 and organic molecules in crystalline matrices. [32][33][34][35] On the other hand, versatile approaches based on today-available NCs present important shortcomings with respect to single-photon applications. Photoinduced charge rearrangements in the passivation layer and in the environment of inorganic semiconductors quantum-dot NCs 36,37 lead to spectral instability of the exciton line, 38 hindering basic quantum optics operations with the emitted photons.…”