We consider two-dimensional (2D) arrays of self-organized semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) strongly interacting with electromagnetic field in the regime of Rabi oscillations. The QD array built of two-level states is modelled by two coupled systems of discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equations. Localized modes in the form of single-peaked fundamental and vortical stationary Rabi solitons and self-trapped breathers have been found. The results for the stability, mobility and radiative properties of the Rabi modes suggest a concept of a self-assembled 2D \textit{% soliton-based nano-antenna}, which should be stable against imperfections In particular, we discuss the implementation of such a nano-antenna in the form of surface plasmon solitons in graphene, and illustrate possibilities to control their operation by means of optical tools.
We use cathodoluminescence to locate droplet epitaxy quantum dots with a precision $\lesssim$ nm before fabricating nanoantennas in their vicinity by electron-beam lithography. Cathodoluminescence is further used to evidence the effect of the antennas as a function of their length on the light emitted by the dot. Experimental results are in good agreement with numerical simulations of the structures.
Nanoantenna enhanced ultrafast emission from colloidal quantum dots as quantum emitters is required for fast quantum communications. On chip integration of such devices require a scalable and high throughput technology. We report self-assembly lithography technique of preparing hybrid of gold-nanorods antenna over a com- pact CdSe quantum dot monolayer. We demonstrate resonant and off resonant gold nanorod antenna enhanced radiative and anisotropic decay. Extensive simulations explain the mechanism of the decay rates and the role of antenna in both random and a compact monolayer of quantum dot…
We report on the deterministic coupling between single semiconducting nanowire quantum dots emitting in the visible and plasmonic Au nanoantennas. Both systems are separately carefully characterized through microphotoluminescence and cathodoluminescence. A two-step realignment process using cathodoluminescence allows for electron beam lithography of Au antennas near individual nanowire quantum dots with a precision of 50 nm. A complete set of optical properties are measured before and after antenna fabrication. They evidence both an increase of the NW absorption, and an improvement of the quan…
We investigate the fluorescence properties of colloidal quantum dots attached to gold rod nanoantennas. These structures are fabricated by a two step electron beam lithography process in combination with a chemical linking method. By varying the nanoantenna length, the plasmon modes of the nanoantennas are successively tuned through the emission band of the quantum dots. We observe a pronounced fluorescence enhancement both for short and long nanoantennas. These findings can be attributed to the coupling of the quantum dots to bright and dark plasmon modes, respectively.
Deterministically integrating semiconductor quantum emitters with plasmonic nano-devices paves the way towards chip-scale integrable, true nanoscale quantum photonics technologies. For this purpose, stable and bright semiconductor emitters are needed, which moreover allow for CMOS-compatibility and optical activity in the telecommunication band. Here, we demonstrate strongly enhanced light-matter coupling of single near-surface ($<10\,nm$) InAs quantum dots monolithically integrated into electromagnetic hot-spots of sub-wavelength sized metal nanoantennas. The antenna strongly enhances the emi…
Deterministic coupling between photonic nodes in a quantum network is an essential step towards implementing various quantum technologies. The omnidirectionality of free-standing emitters, however, makes this coupling highly inefficient, in particular if the distant nodes are coupled via low numerical aperture (NA) channels such as optical fibers. This limitation requires placing quantum emitters in nanoantennas that can direct the photons into the channels with very high efficiency. Moreover, to be able to scale such technologies to a large number of channels, the placing of the emitters shou…
The enhancement of the photoluminescence of quantum dots induced by an optical nanoantenna has been studied considerably, but there is still significant interest in optimizing and miniaturizing such structures, especially when accompanied by an experimental demonstration. Most of the realizations use plasmonic platforms, and some also use all-dielectric nanoantennas, but hybrid dielectric-plasmonic (subwavelength) nanostructures have been very little explored. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate single subwavelength hybrid dielectric-plasmonic optical nanoantennas coupled to localized qu…
We propose to use nanoantennas coupled to incoherently pumped quantum dots for ultra-bright single photon emission. Besides fully quantum calculations, we analyze an analytical expression for the emitted photon rate. From these analytical considerations it turns out that the Purcell factor and the pumping rate are the main quantities of interest. We also disclose a trade-off between the emitted photon rate and the nonclassical nature of the emitted light. This trade-off has to be considered while designing suitable nanoantennas, which we also discuss in depth.
Single photon sources with high brightness and subnanosecond lifetimes are key components for quantum technologies. Optical nanoantennas can enhance the emission properties of single quantum emitters, but this approach requires accurate nanoscale positioning of the source at the plasmonic hotspot. Here, we use plasmonic nanoantennas to simultaneously trap single colloidal quantum dots and enhance their photoluminescence. The nano-optical trapping automatically locates the quantum emitter at the nanoantenna hotspot without further processing. Our dedicated nanoantenna design achieves a high tra…
We demonstrate an important step towards on chip integration of single photon sources operating at room temperature fiber coupling of a directional quantum emitter with back-excitation. Directionality is achieved with a hybrid metal-dielectric bullseye antenna, while back-excitation is permitted by placement of the emitter at or in a sub-wavelength hole positioned at the bullseye center. Overall, the unique design enables a direct laser excitation from the back of the on-chip device and very efficient coupling of the highly collimated photon emission to either low numerical aperture (NA) free …
A novel scheme is proposed to generate a maximally entangled state between two qubits by means of a dissipation-driven process. To this end, we entangle the quantum states of qubits that are mutually coupled by a plasmonic nanoantenna. Upon enforcing a weak spectral asymmetry in the properties of the qubits, the steady-state probability to obtain a maximally entangled, subradiant state approaches unity. This occurs despite the high losses associated to the plasmonic nanoantenna that are usually considered as being detrimental. The entanglement scheme is shown to be quite robust against variati…
We demonstrate that a periodic array of optical antennas sustains a resonant Near-Field (NF) and an anti-resonant Far-Field (FF) at the same energy and in-plane momentum. This phenomenon arises in the context of coupled plasmonic lattice resonances, whose bright and dark character is interchanged at a critical antenna length. The energies of these modes anti-cross in the FF, but cross in the NF. Hence, we observe an extremely narrow bandwidth emission enhancement from quantum dots in the proximity of the array, while the antennas scatter minimally into the FF. Simulations reveal that a standin…
Plasmonic nanoantennas have the ability to confine and enhance incident electromagnetic fields into very sub-wavelength volumes, while at the same time efficiently radiating energy to the far-field. These properties have allowed plasmonic nanoantennas to be extensively used for exciting quantum emitters-such as molecules and quantum dots-and also for the extraction of photons from them for measurements in the far-field. Due to electromagnetic reciprocity, it is expected that plasmonic nanoantennas radiate energy as efficiently as an external source can couple energy to them. In this paper, we …
Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are a promising gain material for solution-processed, wavelength-tunable lasers, with potential application in displays, communications, and biomedical devices. In this work, we combine a CQD film with an array of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoantennas to achieve lasing via bound states in the continuum (BICs), which are symmetry-protected cavity modes with giant quality factors. Here, the BICs arise from slab waveguide modes in the planar film, coupled to the periodic nanoantenna array. We engineer the thickness of the CQD film and size of the nanoantennas to achie…
Nanophotonic quantum information processing systems require spatially ordered, spectrally uniform single photon sources (SPSs) integrated on-chip with co-designed light manipulating elements providing emission rate enhancement, emitted photon guidance, and lossless propagation. Towards this goal, we consider systems comprising an SPS array with each SPS coupled to a dielectric building block (DBB) based multifunctional light manipulation unit (LMU). For the SPS array, we report triggered single photon emission from GaAs(001)/InGaAs single quantum dots (SQDs) grown selectively on top of nanomes…
We develop a theory for the interaction of classical light fields with an a chain of coupled quantum dots (QDs), in the strong-coupling regime, taking into account the local-field effects. The QD chain is modeled by a one-dimensional (1D) periodic array of two-level quantum particles with tunnel coupling between adjacent ones. The local-field effect is taken into regard as QD depolarization in the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov approximation. The dynamics of the chain is described by a system of two discrete nonlinear Schrödinger (DNLS) equations for local amplitudes of the probabilities of the groun…
A theory of self-induced transparency of surface TM-mode propagating along a interface separating conventional and left-handed metamaterials is developed. A transition layer sandwiched between connected media is described using a model of a two-dimensional gas of quantum dots. Explicit analytical expressions for a surface optical soliton in the presence of single and biexciton transitions, depending on the magnetic permeability of the left-handed medium, are obtained with realistic parameters which can be reached in current experiments. It is shown that the sign of the total energy flow the su…
Metallic nanostructures acting as optical nanoantennas can significantly enhance the photoluminescence (PL) of nearby emitters. Albeit luminescence enhancement factors of several orders of magnitude have been reported for quantum dots or molecules, in the case of bulk emitters the magnitude of the plasmonic enhancement is strongly hindered by the weak spatial overlap between the active medium and the electromagnetic modes of the nanoantenna. Here, we propose a solid-state ultraviolet emitter based on a thin film of zinc oxide (ZnO) coupled with an array of aluminum (Al) nanoparticles. The Al n…
