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DOE OSTI · 3007511

Solution-Processed Ultrafast, Room-Temperature Single-Photon Source at 1550 nm

Zhang, Siyuan [Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)]·Traverso, Andrew J. [Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)]·Dolgopolova, Ekaterina A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000308624566)·Singh, Ajay [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)]·Kishida, Hiroyuki [Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)] (ORCID:0009000471317192)·Livshits, Maksim Yuryevich [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000336011230)·Sheehan, Chris J. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)]·Bowes, Eric Gerard [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000336051814)·Li, Can [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000188945110)·Hollingsworth, Jennifer Ann [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000330991215)·Mikkelsen, Maiken H. [Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)] (ORCID:0000000204877585)
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Abstract

Single photons are cornerstones of quantum technologies. The need for an ultrafast, bright, and stable photon source emitting in the telecom-band at ∼1550 nm, ideally operating at room temperature, has resulted in a decades-long quest. However, to date, telecom sources are hampered by inherently long radiative lifetimes that severely limit brightness and speed, material instability, or the need for cryogenic operation. Here, in this study, stable colloidal PbS/CdS quantum dots emitting at 1550 nm (C-band) or 1350 nm (O-band) are embedded in a solution-synthesized nanoparticle-on-mirror cavity. Single cavity-coupled quantum dots experience extreme Purcell factors up to 10,700, resulting in ultrafast emission lifetimes of 65 ps, along with near-complete blinking suppression. As a result, 12 million single photons are emitted per second affording a single photon source at 1550 nm that is more than two orders of magnitude brighter than previously possible at room-temperature. These telecom-band single photon sources are solution-processable and lithography-free and may leverage mature colloidal fabrication technologies for future quantum applications.

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGYcolloidalnanocavityplasmonicsquantum dotsroom-temperaturesingle photonssingle-photon sourcetelecomultrafast

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Zhang, Siyuan [Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)], Traverso, Andrew J. [Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)], Dolgopolova, Ekaterina A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000308624566), Singh, Ajay [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)], Kishida, Hiroyuki [Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)] (ORCID:0009000471317192), Livshits, Maksim Yuryevich [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000336011230), Sheehan, Chris J. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)], Bowes, Eric Gerard [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000336051814), Li, Can [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000188945110), Hollingsworth, Jennifer Ann [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)] (ORCID:0000000330991215), Mikkelsen, Maiken H. [Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)] (ORCID:0000000204877585). 2025-05-13. Solution-Processed Ultrafast, Room-Temperature Single-Photon Source at 1550 nm. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c18261

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