Quantum dots coupled to chip-based dielectric resonators via DNA origami mediated assembly

Abstract

Interfacing of single photon emitters, such as quantum dots, with photonic nanocavities enables study of fundamental quantum electrodynamic phenomena. In such experiments, the inability to precisely position quantum emitters at the nanoscale usually limits the ability to control spontaneous emission, despite sophisticated control of optical density of states by cavity design. Thus, effective light-matter interactions in photonic nanostructures strongly depend on deterministic positioning of quantum emitters. In this work by using directed self-assembly of DNA origami we demonstrate deterministic coupling of quantum dots with gallium phosphide (GaP) dielectric whispering gallery mode resonators design to enhance CdSe quantum dot emission at 600nm-650nm. GaP microdisk and microring resonators are dry-etched through 200nm layer of gallium phosphide on silicon dioxide/silicon substrates. Our simulations show that such GaP resonators may have quality factors up to 10^5, which ensures strong light-matter interaction. On the top surface of microresonators, we write binding sites in the shape of DNA origami using electron beam lithography, and use oxygen plasma exposure to chemically activate these binding sites. DNA origami self-assembly is accomplished by placing DNA origami – quantum dot complexes into these binding sites. This approach allows us to achieve deterministic placement of the quantum dots with a few nm precision in position relative to the resonator. We will report photoluminescence spectroscopy and lifetime measurements of quantum dot – resonator deterministic coupling to probe the cavity-enhanced spontaneous emission rate. Overall, this approach offers precise control of emitter positioning in nanophotonic structures, which is a critical step for scalable quantum information processing.

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