Toward triggered generation of indistinguishable single-photons from MoTe$_2$ quantum emitters

Abstract:Single-photon sources operating at telecom wavelengths are fundamental components for long-distance optical quantum communication and information processing. Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) offer a promising platform for such sources, but their development has been hindered by limited spectral range and poor single-photon indistinguishability. Here, we demonstrate a reproducible and systematic approach for generating near-infrared (1090-1200 nm) quantum emitters in bilayer MoTe$_2$ using deterministic strain and defect engineering. These emitters exhibit strong linear polarization (DOLP $>70%$), sub-nanosecond lifetimes ($\tau \sim$ 130-450 ps), high single-photon purity with triggered $g^{(2)}(0)$ values as low as $\sim$0.01 ($\sim$0.16) under p-shell (quasi-resonant) excitation, and resolution-limited emission ($\sim$150 $\mu$eV). Electrostatic biasing enables tuning over a $\sim$3 meV range, suppresses photon bunching, and significantly shortens radiative lifetimes, yielding narrow emission with ratios of experimental to transform-limited linewidths as low as $R\sim55$. Most notably, two-photon interference measurements reveal a Hong-Ou-Mandel visibility of $V_{HOM}\sim$ 7.1$%$ (3.6$%$), and up to $V_{HOM}\sim$ 60$%$ ($\sim$40$%$) with post-selection by temporal filtering under p-shell (quasi-resonant) excitation. To our knowledge, this presents the highest reported indistinguishability for TMD quantum emitters and the first such demonstration for MoTe$_2$ platform. These results establish MoTe$_2$ as a viable platform for tunable, low-noise, high-purity single-photon sources with state-of-the-art indistinguishability for TMD quantum emitters, paving the way for their integration into telecom-compatible quantum photonic technologies.

Optics (physics.optics); Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall); Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci); Quantum Physics (quant-ph)

arXiv:2508.20743 [physics.optics]

(or arXiv:2508.20743v2 [physics.optics] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2508.20743 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

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