Four wave mixing in 3C SiC Ring Resonators

We demonstrate frequency conversion by four wave mixing at telecommunication wavelengths using an integrated platform in 3C SiC. The process was enhanced by high-Q and small modal volume ring resonators, allowing the use of mW-level CW powers to pump the nonlinear optical process. We retrieved the nonlinear refractive index $n_{2}=(5.31\pm 0.04)\times 10^{-19} m^{2}/W$ of 3C SiC and observed a signal attributed to Raman gain in the structure.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Silicon Carbide Photonic Crystal Cavities with Integrated Color Centers

The recent discovery of color centers with optically addressable spin states in 3C silicon carbide (SiC) similar to the negatively charged nitrogen vacancy center in diamond has the potential to enable the integration of defect qubits into established wafer scale device architectures for quantum information and sensing applications. Here we demonstrate the design, fabrication, and characterization of photonic crystal cavities in 3C SiC films with incorporated ensembles of color centers and quality factor (Q) to mode volume ratios similar to those achieved in diamond. Simulations show that optimized H1 and L3 structures exhibit Q as high as 45,000 and mode volumes of approximately $(\lambda/n)^{3}$. We utilize the internal color centers as a source of broadband excitation to characterize fabricated structures with resonances tuned to the color center zero phonon line and observe Q in the range of 900-1,500 with narrowband photoluminescence collection enhanced by up to a factor of 10. By comparing the Q factors observed for different geometries with finite-difference time-domain simulations, we find evidence that nonvertical sidewalls are likely the dominant source of discrepancies between our simulated and measured Q factors. These results indicate that defect qubits in 3C SiC thin films show clear promise as a simple, scalable platform for interfacing defect qubits with photonic, optoelectronic, and optomechanical devices.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Continuous variable entanglement on a chip

Encoding quantum information in continuous variables (CV)---as the quadrature of electromagnetic fields---is a powerful approach to quantum information science and technology. CV entanglement---light beams in Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) states---is a key resource for quantum information protocols; and enables hybridisation between CV and single photon discrete variable (DV) qubit systems. However, CV systems are currently limited by their implementation in free-space optical networks: increased complexity, low loss, high-precision alignment and stability, as well as hybridisation, demand an alternative approach. Here we show an integrated photonic implementation of the key capabilities for CV quantum technologies---generation and characterisation of EPR beams in a photonic chip. Combined with integrated squeezing and non-Gaussian operation, these results open the way to universal quantum information processing with light

Heralding two- and four-photon path entanglement on chip

Generating quantum entanglement is not only an important scientific endeavor, but will be essential to realizing quantum-enhanced technologies, in particular, quantum-enhanced measurements with precision beyond classical limits. We investigate the heralded generation of multiphoton entanglement for quantum metrology using a reconfigurable integrated waveguide device in which projective measurement of auxiliary photons heralds the generation of path-entangled states. We use four and six-photon inputs, to analyze the heralding process of two- and four-photon NOON states-a superposition of N photons in two paths, capable of enabling phase supersensitive measurements at the Heisenberg limit. Realistic devices will include imperfections; as part of the heralded state preparation, we demonstrate phase superresolution within our chip with a state that is more robust to photon loss

Amplitude-Multiplexed readout of single photon detectors based on superconducting nanowires

The realization of large-scale photonic circuit for quantum optics experiments at telecom wavelengths requires an increasing number of integrated detectors. Superconductive nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) can be easily integrated on chip and they can efficiently detect the light propagating inside waveguides. The thermal budget of cryostats poses a limit on the maximum number of elements that can be integrated on the same chip due to the thermal impact of the readout electronics. In this paper, we propose and implement a novel scheme able for an efficient reading of several SNSPDs with only one readout port, enabling the realization of photonic circuits with a large number of modes

Coherent coupling between localised and propagating phonon polaritons

Following the recent observation of localised phonon polaritons in user-defined silicon carbide nano-resonators, here we demonstrate coherent coupling between those localised modes and propagating phonon polaritons bound to the surface of the nano-resonator's substrate. In order to obtain phase-matching, the nano-resonators have been fabricated to serve the double function of hosting the localised modes, while also acting as grating for the propagating ones. The coherent coupling between long lived, optically accessible localised modes, and low-loss propagative ones, opens the way to the design and realisation of phonon-polariton based quantum circuits

Cavity-enhanced measurements of defect spins in silicon carbide

The identification of new solid-state defect-qubit candidates in widely used semiconductors has the potential to enable the use of nanofabricated devices for enhanced qubit measurement and control operations. In particular, the recent discovery of optically active spin states in silicon carbide thin films offers a scalable route for incorporating defect qubits into on-chip photonic devices. Here, we demonstrate the use of 3C silicon carbide photonic crystal cavities for enhanced excitation of color-center defect spin ensembles in order to increase measured photoluminescence signal count rates, optically detected magnetic-resonance signal intensities, and optical spin initialization rates. We observe an up to a factor of 30 increase in the photoluminescence and optically detected magnetic-resonance signals from Ky5 color centers excited by cavity-resonant excitation and increase the rate of ground-state spin initialization by approximately a factor of 2. Furthermore, we show that the 705-fold reduction in excitation mode volume and enhanced excitation and collection efficiencies provided by the structures can be used to overcome inhomogenous broadening in order to facilitate the study of defect-qubit subensemble properties. These results highlight some of the benefits that nanofabricated devices offer for engineering the local photonic environment of color-center defect qubits to enable applications in quantum information and sensin

Polytype control of spin qubits in silicon carbide

Crystal defects can confine isolated electronic spins and are promising candidates for solid-state quantum information. Alongside research focusing on nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond, an alternative strategy seeks to identify new spin systems with an expanded set of technological capabilities, a materials driven approach that could ultimately lead to "designer" spins with tailored properties. Here, we show that the 4H, 6H and 3C polytypes of SiC all host coherent and optically addressable defect spin states, including spins in all three with room-temperature quantum coherence. The prevalence of this spin coherence shows that crystal polymorphism can be a degree of freedom for engineering spin qubits. Long spin coherence times allow us to use double electron-electron resonance to measure magnetic dipole interactions between spin ensembles in inequivalent lattice sites of the same crystal. Together with the distinct optical and spin transition energies of such inequivalent spins, these interactions provide a route to dipole-coupled networks of separately addressable spins.Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures, and supplementary information and figure

Second harmonic generation from strongly coupled localized and propagating phonon-polariton modes

We experimentally investigate second harmonic generation from strongly coupled localized and propagative phonon polariton modes in arrays of silicon carbide nanopillars. Our results clearly demonstrate the hybrid nature of the system's eigenmodes and distinct manifestation of strong coupling in the linear and nonlinear response. While in linear reflectivity the intensity of the two strongly-coupled branches is essentially symmetric and well explained by their respective localized or propagative components, the second harmonic signal presents a strong asymmetry. Analyzing it in detail, we reveal the importance of interference effects between the nonlinear polarization terms originating in the bulk and in the phonon polariton modes, respectively.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure