Quantum and Nonlinear Photonics in Silicon Carbide

该项目由材料研究部(DMR)的电子和光子材料(EPM)和凝聚态物质物理(CMP)计划以及电气、通信和网络系统(ECCS)的电子、光子学和磁性设备(EPMD)计划共同资助。非技术描述：该项目开发了一个新的光与物质之间强相互作用的平台-使用碳化硅中的纳米光学腔(谐振器)，同时包含光学发射器(色心)，并将光定位在重叠的亚波长体积中。这样的平台可以切换一束光束和另一束光束并改变其颜色--即使是非常弱的光束，也只有几个光子的水平。这些效应的潜在应用包括构建远距离安全量子通信系统的积木，以低得多的功率和更高的速度运行的电子开关的光学等价物，以及磁场传感器。因此，这项工作将光子工程与材料/纳米科学和基础物理学结合在一起。该项目包括与研究相结合的教育和推广活动，包括积极招募少数民族和妇女从事科学和工程职业，开发新的班级和教科书，本科生研究和咨询，以及参与K-12学生和教师的推广计划。技术描述：本研究的重点是开发基于碳化硅纳米热子腔的量子和非线性光子学平台，其中嵌入光学活性晶体杂质(色心)的系综。在具有高品质因数和小模式体积的纳米软化光子晶体腔内产生合适的量子发射体的系综(例如，通过电子束照射)。这样的平台在各种定制的光学装置中被探索，以研究非线性和量子光学，以及在室温和低光功率水平下的多发射器腔量子电动力学效应。所观察到的效应被用来构建几个光子级别的光学开关(用于光通信和计算)，将碳化硅中量子发射器的长寿命状态与光纤网络中传播的光子相连接(应用于量子网络)，构建从可见光到中红外波长的片上光源，以及检测弱磁场。

The project is jointly funded by the Electronic and Photonic Materials (EPM) and the Condensed Matter Physics (CMP) Programs, both in the Division of Materials Research (DMR), and by the Electronics, Photonics, and Magnetic Devices (EPMD) Program in the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS).Non-technical Description: This project develops a new platform for strong interaction between light and matter - using an optical cavity (resonator) nanofabricated in silicon carbide that simultaneously contains optical emitters (color centers) and localizes light in an overlapping, sub-wavelength volume. Such a platform enables switching one optical beam with another and changing its color - even with very weak beams, at the level of only a few photons. The potential applications of these effects include building blocks for secure quantum communication systems over long distances, optical equivalents of electronic switches operating at much lower powers and higher speeds, and magnetic field sensors. This work therefore combines photonic engineering, with materials/nanoscience, and fundamental physics. The project contains educational and outreach activities integrated with research, including active recruitment of minorities and women for science and engineering careers, development of new classes and textbooks, undergraduate research and advising, and participation in outreach programs for K-12 students and teachers.Technical Description: The focus of this research is the development of a quantum and nonlinear photonics platform based on silicon carbide nanophotonic cavities with embedded ensembles of optically-active crystalline impurities (color centers). Ensembles of suitable quantum emitters are generated (e.g., via electron beam irradiation) inside nanofabricated photonic crystal cavities with high quality factors and small mode volumes. Such a platform is probed in a variety of custom-built optical setups to study nonlinear and quantum optics, and multi-emitter cavity quantum electrodynamics effects at room temperature and at low optical power levels. The observed effects are employed to build optical switches at the level of a few photons (for optical communications and computing), to interface long-lived states of quantum emitters in silicon carbide to photons propagating in fiber optic networks (with applications to quantum networks), to build on-chip light sources for wavelengths from visible through mid-infrared, and to sense weak magnetic fields.