Deterministic generation of polarization-entangled photon pairs from semiconductor quantum dots with a single mechanical tuning knob

Shun-Jen Cheng, Yi Yang, Yu-Nien Wu, Yu-Huai Liao, Guan-Hao Peng

Published 2018-03-01Version 1

Generating polarization entangled photon pairs from semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) is a desired feature for advanced quantum applications integrated with semiconductor technology, such as quantum cryptography and quantum teleportation, but has remained a technically challenging task for a long time, due to the inevitable and hardly controlled fine structure splitting (FSS) between the single-exciton doublets of QDs. Till recently, a conceptual and technological break- through was made by Trotta et al. to successfully remove the FSSs of QDs in an universal and deterministic manner, which points out the necessity of using at least two generic fields as tuning knobs for the FSS-elimination. Inspired by the progress, currently more attempt is to develop the quantum light emitting devices with versatile functionalities, such as electrical trigger of photon- pair emission or tunability of light-wavelength. In the sense, the use of two tuning knobs yet in turn impose a restriction to the versatility of devices that needs also additional tuning knobs for the functional operations. In this study, we carry out a theoretical and computation investigation of the excitonic FSSs of droplet-epitaxial (DE) GaAs/AlGaAs QDs controlled by piezoelectricity actuators. As a main of this work, we find that the number of the required tuning knobs for a deterministic generation of EPPs from asymmetric QDs actually can be reduced to be only one as long as the crystal symmetries of QD material and piezoelectricity actuator are compatible. As a feasible example, we show that the FSSs of asymmetric GaAs QDs can be certainly eliminated with a single bi-axial stress generated by (001) PMN-PT actuator that is, in the sense of symmetry, in coincidence with the zinc-blende crystal structure of QD.