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Integration of a GaAs-based nanomechanical phase shifter with quantum-dot single-photon sources

Celeste Qvotrup1,*, Ying Wang1,*,†, Marcus Albrechtsen1, Rodrigo A. Thomas1, Zhe Liu1, Sven Scholz2, Arne Ludwig2, and Leonardo Midolo1,‡

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: ying.wang@nbi.ku.dk
  • ‡Contact author: midolo@nbi.ku.dk
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Phys. Rev. Applied 24, 054016 – Published 6 November, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/y554-z6hg

Abstract

We demonstrate a small-footprint electromechanical phase shifter with a compact active length of 10μm fabricated on a suspended GaAs membrane, offering versatile integration with quantum-dot single-photon sources. The phase shifter is based on a slot waveguide, whose slot width can be controlled by electrostatic forces, enabling a large effective refractive index change Δneff>0.1. We observe up to 3π phase modulation with 10.6 V applied bias, and a figure of merit VπL=5.7×10−3Vcm. Integration with a Mach-Zehnder interferometer further allows routing of single photons with an extinction ratio of up to 24 dB at cryogenic temperatures. This device enables advanced manipulation of quantum emitters and the realization of reconfigurable quantum photonic integrated circuits.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 24, 054016– Published 6 November, 2025
  • Received 28 February 2025
  • Revised 27 May 2025
  • Accepted 7 July 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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