In
the SAWPHOTON project we want to develop a special opto-electronic
nanocircuit that can produce photons at a fixed rate. This nanocircuit
applies a high-frequency surface acoustic wave (SAW) to push single
electrons through a lateral n-i-p junction. Each of these electrons
recombines with a hole, thereby emitting a single photon.
For many years a single-photon source has been a desirable device
for quantum optics and quantum cryptography. Therefore, our device can
be used to develop practical secure optical communication channels
with commercial significance.
Compared to other existing approaches our single-photon source will
operate at higher temperatures, deliver photons at a much higher rate,
and can be implemented using well-established processing techniques
