Towards GaSb/GaAs quantum-ring single-photon LEDs : recent progress and prospects

Acar, Gizem and Leguay, Lucie and Jones, Samuel and Hodgson, Peter and Schliwa, A. and Hayne, Manus (2024) Towards GaSb/GaAs quantum-ring single-photon LEDs : recent progress and prospects. In: Proceedings : Light-Emitting Devices, Materials, and Applications XXVIII. SPIE, pp. 41-47. ISBN 9781510670723

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Abstract

Advances in single-photon sources have proved pivotal to the progress of quantum information processing and secure communication systems. This study addresses the imperative need for developing commercially viable, electrically-driven single-photon sources capable of operating at or above room temperature with rapid response times and emission in the telecom wavelength range of 1260 to 1675 nm. We introduce an innovative single-photon light-emitting diode (SPLED) design employing GaAs quantum dots (QDs) and self-assembled GaSb quantum rings (QRs). The core of our design is an electron filter layer composed of GaAs QDs embedded in AlxGa1-xAs, engineered to inject (single) electrons into an ensemble of type-II GaSb QRs in GaAs, where they recombine with strongly confined holes producing (single) photons at a wavelength governed by an optical cavity created using distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs). This concept removes the need to select individual QD emitters, rendering the device highly suitable for scalable production. Our research demonstrates a comprehensive theoretical and experimental analysis using nextnano++ simulations and fabricated prototype device characteristics. Quite remarkably, we find that the emission properties of the SPLED devices actually improves as operational temperature is increased from 20 °C to 80 °C, making them attractive as practical devices.