Turnstile device for heralded single photons: Coulomb blockade of electron and hole tunneling in quantum confined<i>p</i>-<i>i</i>-<i>n</i>heterojunctions

Abstract

We show that if a double-barrier mesoscopic p-i-n heterojunction is driven by an alternating voltage source, then Coulomb blockade and quantum confinement effects together can suppress the quantum fluctuations usually associated with electron and hole injection processes in semiconductors. It is therefore possible to generate heralded single-photon states without the need for a high-impedance current source. Since the frequency of the alternating voltage source determines the repetition rate of the single-photon states and the magnitude of the junction current, the present scheme promises high precision photon-flux and current standards.