Efficient Source of Single Photons: A Single Quantum Dot in a Micropost Microcavity

Date

2002-11-13

Department

Program

Citation of Original Publication

Pelton, Matthew, Charles Santori, Jelena Vuc̆ković, Bingyang Zhang, Glenn S. Solomon, Jocelyn Plant, and Yoshihisa Yamamoto. “Efficient Source of Single Photons: A Single Quantum Dot in a Micropost Microcavity.” Physical Review Letters 89, no. 23 (November 13, 2002): 233602. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.89.233602.

Rights

©2002 American Physical Society

Subjects

Abstract

We have demonstrated efficient production of triggered single photons by coupling a single semiconductor quantum dot to a three-dimensionally confined optical mode in a micropost microcavity. The efficiency of emitting single photons into a single-mode traveling wave is approximately 38%, which is nearly 2 orders of magnitude higher than for a quantum dot in bulk semiconductor material. At the same time, the probability of having more than one photon in a given pulse is reduced by a factor of 7 as compared to light with Poissonian photon statistics.