Engineering Nanohole-Etched Quantum Dots for Telecom-Band Single-Photon Generation

Ian M Masson; Aden Hageman; Caleb Whittier; David Montealegre; Bhaveshkumar Kamaliya; Nabil D Bassim; John P Prineas; Ravitej Uppu

doi:10.1021/acsnano.5c17982

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Engineering Nanohole-Etched Quantum Dots for Telecom-Band Single-Photon Generation

Journal article

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Engineering Nanohole-Etched Quantum Dots for Telecom-Band Single-Photon Generation

Ian M Masson, Aden Hageman, Caleb Whittier, David Montealegre, Bhaveshkumar Kamaliya, Nabil D Bassim, John P Prineas and Ravitej Uppu

ACS nano

01/09/2026

DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5c17982

PMID: 41510660

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Abstract

Bright and high-purity single-photon sources at telecom wavelengths are essential for scalable quantum networks. Nanohole-etched GaSb/AlGaSb quantum dots (QDs) are an emerging platform for telecom-band emitters, offering freedom from strain-induced decoherence and indium-related nuclear spin noise of conventional InGaAs QDs. Here, we present a comprehensive optical spectroscopy study that reveals correlations between nanohole morphology, exciton recombination dynamics, and single-photon performance in GaSb QDs. Shallow nanoholes lead to ultrafast charge transfer that limits optical coherence, whereas deeper nanoholes yield clean neutral-exciton emission with a high bright-to-dark state branching ratio (98 ± 1%), indicating favorable conditions for efficient photon generation. Under pulsed quasi-resonant excitation, these QDs exhibit significantly enhanced single-photon purity with (0) = 0.029 ± 0.011, compared to above-band excitation ( (0) = 0.18 ± 0.05). Polarization-resolved measurements across tens of QDs further reveal ultrasmall fine-structure splitting of the neutral exciton (11 ± 5 μeV), relevant for entangled-photon generation at telecom wavelengths. These results highlight the potential of GaSb QDs for high-performance quantum emitters and scalable spin-photon interfaces in the telecom band.

telecom wavelength

quantum dots

single-photon sources

quantum communication

epitaxy

Details

Title: Subtitle: Engineering Nanohole-Etched Quantum Dots for Telecom-Band Single-Photon Generation
Creators: Ian M Masson - University of Iowa
Aden Hageman - University of Iowa
Caleb Whittier - McMaster University
David Montealegre - University of Iowa
Bhaveshkumar Kamaliya - McMaster University
Nabil D Bassim - McMaster University
John P Prineas - University of Iowa
Ravitej Uppu - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: ACS nano
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5c17982
PMID: 41510660
NLM abbreviation: ACS Nano
ISSN: 1936-086X
eISSN: 1936-086X
Publisher: American Chemical Society
Grant note: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada: ALLRP580935-22 University of Iowa: NA Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems: 2339469
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. ECCS2339469. R.U. acknowledges a seed grant from the University of Iowa's Office of the Vice President for Research through the P3 Jumpstarting Tomorrow program. N.D.B. thanks the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for financially supporting this work under the Alliance International Catalyst Quantum grants program (ALLRP 580935 - 22). The authors acknowledge support for carrying out the focused ion beam milling (FIB) and STEM work at the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy (CCEM), a national facility supported by McMaster University, the Ontario Research Fund (ORF), and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).
Language: English
Electronic publication date: 01/09/2026
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy; Mechanical Engineering
Record Identifier: 9985116812702771

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