Efficient biphoton emission in semiconductors by single-photon recycling

An efficient biphoton emission process in semiconductors can enable the realization of highly tunable lasers, squeezed light sources, and entangled photon pair sources on an integrated platform. We propose a general single-photon recycling scheme to improve the overall efficiency of the typically weak biphoton emission process in a broad class of semiconductor materials. Using a rate-equation-based analysis, we first frame the general design principles and subsequently design a one-dimensional photonic crystal cavity to reach the ideal photon recycling limit for the spontaneously emitted single photons. The cavity is designed with realistic constituent materials to achieve high biphoton output efficiency in the absence of nonradiative recombination channels.

Automated summary

This article introduces an efficient biphoton emission process in semiconductors, which can enable highly tunable lasers, squeezed light sources, and entangled photon pair sources on an integrated platform. The authors propose a general single-photon recycling scheme to improve the overall efficiency of biphoton emission in a broad class of semiconductor materials. By using a rate-equation-based analysis, they design a one-dimensional photonic crystal cavity that reaches the ideal photon recycling limit for spontaneously emitted single photons. The cavity is designed with realistic constituent materials to achieve high biphoton output efficiency in the absence of nonradiative recombination channels.