Design of a monolithic source of photon pairs comprising a semiconductor laser and a Bragg reflection waveguide

Abstract

We propose a monolithic, electrically driven source of photon pairs based on a non-linear AlGaAs Bragg reflection waveguide and a laser structure stacked on top. By introducing lateral tapers, the fundamental mode of the lasing waveguide is vertically coupled into a higher order mode of the Bragg reflection waveguide (Bragg mode) such that photon pairs can be generated through a type-II spontaneous parametric down conversion process. According to numerical simulations, a coupling efficiency of 28% is achieved between both modes. Phase matching the Bragg mode with two fundamental modes at 1550 nm results in a photon pair rate of 1.7*10^8 pairs/s for a 2 mm long device assuming 1 mW of power in the Bragg mode. Since the Bragg reflection waveguide does not require doping for this vertically coupled structure, free-carrier absorption losses and parasitic luminescence are avoided.