All optical switching of a single photon stream by excitonic depletion

Abstract

AbstractSingle semiconductor quantum dots have been extensively used to demonstrate the deterministic emission of high purity single photons. The single photon emission performance of these nanostructures has become very well controlled, offering high levels of photon indistinguishability and brightness. Ultimately, quantum technologies will require the development of a set of devices to manipulate and control the state of the photons. Here we measure and simulate a novel all-optical route to switch the single photon stream emitted from the excitonic transition in a single semiconductor quantum dot. A dual non-resonant excitation pumping scheme is used to engineer a switching device operated with GHz speeds, high differential contrasts, ultra-low power consumption and high single photon purity. Our device scheme can be replicated in many different zero dimensional semiconductors, providing a novel route towards developing a platform-independent on-chip design for high speed and low power consumption quantum devices.