Energy-tunable sources of entangled photons: a viable concept for solid-state-based quantum relays

Abstract

We propose a new method of generating triggered entangled photon pairs with wavelength on demand. The method uses a micro-structured semiconductor-piezoelectric device capable of dynamically reshaping the electronic properties of self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) via anisotropic strain-engineering. Theoretical models based on kp theory in combination with finite-element calculations show that the energy of the polarization-entangled photons emitted by QDs can be tuned in a range larger than 100 meV without affecting the degree of entanglement of the quantum source. These results pave the way towards the deterministic implementation of QD entanglement resources in all-electrically-controlled solid-state-based quantum relays.