DOE OSTI2019
Modern Quantum Information Systems (QIS) employ optical photons for long distance communication, operating at ambient temperature, between microwave cavities, which house microwave photons used in quantum computing and microwave detection. These optical photons, carried by fiber-optic or free-space links, offer a low-cost, uncooled alternative to bulky, expensive microwave coaxial cables, which are lossy, susceptible to EMI, and a significant thermal conductor to the outside ambient environment. To convert between these two types of photons and implement these optical interconnects, it is necessary to develop a high-performance photodetector for optical to microwave transduction. Freedom Photonics and the University of Virginia have a well-established partnership in developing high-performance photodiodes. In this Phase I effort, we collaborated in designing, fabricating, and testing an advanced, high-speed, high quantum efficiency prototype photodiode for transduction from optical to microwave frequencies. These devices have applications not only in quantum computing and axion detection, but also in other optical-cryogenic interconnect applications, in fields such as radio astronomy and quantum cryptography, as well as in quantum metrology and plasmonics. During this Phase I DOE program, we designed, fabricated, and tested prototype PIN GaAs photodiodes which targeted the performance parameters defined by the program. This process involved identifying a new target wavelength, different from that proposed initially, based on conversations with the Oak Ridge National Lab customer. We designed an epitaxial stack, optimized in theory for ≥95% quantum efficiency at 795 nm, ≥5 GHz, per the target objectives of the program. Additionally, we designed a fabrication process and associated mask plates for top-illuminated, AR-coated devices with device diameters ranging from 50 µm to 800 µm. Using these, we fabricated two 3” wafer quarters of devices, and characterized the devices’ dark current, quantum efficiency, and bandwidth for various device diameters. The prototype devices achieved a quantum efficiency of 89% at the target 795 nm detection wavelength. The bandwidth of the devices proved tricky to characterize, but a 50 µm diameter device shows a 3-dB bandwidth of at least 1.6 GHz, possibly a full 5 GHz, depending on the measurement setup. In the future, we plan to characterize the bandwidth of these devices using an impulse response measurement. All tasks for the Phase I were successfully completed, and sample prototype devices were provided to Oak Ridge National Lab Quantum Information Science researchers. The work performed in Phase I has established a strong foundation for future design and fabrication cycles in Phase II, if granted. The early tests at Oak Ridge National Labs will provide guidance for the required photodiode performance in devices to be supplied in Phase II.