Large Stark Tuning of InAs/InP Quantum Dots

Abstract: InAs/InP quantum dots are excellent sources of telecom single-photon emission and are among the most promising candidates for scalable quantum photonic circuits. However, geometric differences in each quantum dot leads to slightly different emission wavelengths and hinders the possibility of generating multiple identical quantum emitters on the same chip. Stark tuning is an efficient technique to overcome this issue as it can control the emission energy of individual quantum dots through the quantum-confined Stark effect. Realizing this technique in InAs/InP quantum dots has previously been limited to shifts of less than 0.8 meV due to jumps in the emission energy because of additional charges at high electric field intensities. We demonstrate up to 5.1 meV of Stark tuning in the emission wavelength of InAs/InP quantum dots. To eliminate undesirable jumps to charged state, we use a thin oxide insulator to prevent carrier injection from the contacts, thereby significantly improves the tuning range of the Stark effect. Moreover, the single-photon nature and narrow linewidth of the quantum dot emission is preserved under a wide range of applied electric fields. Using photoluminescence intensity measurements and time-resolved lifetime spectroscopy we confirmed that this Stark tuning range is limited by carrier tunneling at high electric fields. This result is an important step toward integrating multiple identical quantum emitters at telecom wavelengths on-a-chip, which is crucial for realizing complex quantum photonic circuits for quantum information processing.