Cavity-enhanced single-photon source based on the silicon-vacancy center in diamond

Journal article

Single-photon sources are an integral part of various quantum technologies, and solid-state quantum emitters at room temperature appear to be a promising implementation. We couple the fluorescence of individual silicon-vacancy centers in nanodiamonds to a tunable optical microcavity to demonstrate a single-photon source with high efficiency, increased emission rate, and improved spectral purity compared to the intrinsic emitter properties. We use a fiber-based microcavity with a mode volume as small as 3.4 λ 3 and a quality factor of 1.9 × 1 0 4 and observe an effective Purcell factor of up to 9.2. Furthermore, we study modifications of the internal rate dynamics and propose a rate model that closely agrees with the measurements. We observe lifetime changes of up to 31%, limited by the finite quantum efficiency of the emitters studied here. With improved materials, our achieved parameters predict single-photon rates beyond 1 GHz.

Authors: Benedikter, J; Kaupp, H; Hümmer, T; Liang, Y; Bommer, A

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• Journal: Physical Review Applied
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 2
• Article number: 024031
• Publication date: 2017-02-28
• Acceptance date: 2017-02-02
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevApplied.7.024031
• ISSN: 2331-7019