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Avalanche amplification of a single exciton in a semiconductor nanowire

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Abstract

Interfacing single photons and electrons is a crucial element in sharing quantum information between remote solid-state qubits1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Semiconductor nanowires offer the unique possibility of combining optical quantum dots with avalanche photodiodes, thus enabling the conversion of an incoming single photon into a macroscopic current for efficient electrical detection. Currently, millions of excitation events are required to perform electrical readout of an exciton qubit state1,6. Here, we demonstrate multiplication of carriers from only a single exciton generated in a quantum dot after tunnelling into a nanowire avalanche photodiode. Owing to the large amplification of both electrons and holes (>104), we reduce by four orders of magnitude the number of excitation events required to electrically detect a single exciton generated in a quantum dot. This work represents a significant step towards achieving single-shot electrical readout and offers a new functionality for on-chip quantum information circuits.

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Figure 1: Single quantum dot in a nanowire APD.
Figure 2: Single photon detection with a nanowire photodiode.
Figure 3: Resonant single photon detection in the quantum dot.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank J. Rarity and S.M. Frolov for useful scientific discussions. This work was supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), the Dutch Organization for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), the European Research Council and a DARPA QUEST grant.

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Author notes

  1. Gabriele Bulgarini and Michael E. Reimer: These authors contributed equally to this work

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CJ Delft, The Netherlands

    Gabriele Bulgarini, Michael E. Reimer, Moïra Hocevar, Erik P. A. M. Bakkers, Leo P. Kouwenhoven & Val Zwiller

  2. Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Erik P. A. M. Bakkers

Authors
  1. Gabriele Bulgarini
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  2. Michael E. Reimer
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  3. Moïra Hocevar
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  4. Erik P. A. M. Bakkers
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  5. Leo P. Kouwenhoven
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  6. Val Zwiller
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Contributions

The experiments were conceived and designed by G.B., M.E.R. and V.Z., and were carried out by G.B. and M.E.R. The sample was grown by M.H. and E.P.A.M.B. and contacted by M.E.R. The data were analysed by G.B., M.E.R. and V.Z. The manuscript was written by G.B. and M.E.R. with input from M.H., E.P.A.M.B., L.P.K. and V.Z.

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Correspondence to Gabriele Bulgarini.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Bulgarini, G., Reimer, M., Hocevar, M. et al. Avalanche amplification of a single exciton in a semiconductor nanowire. Nature Photon 6, 455–458 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2012.110

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