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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Microwave power harvesting using resonator-coupled double quantum dot photodiode

Subhomoy Haldar1,*, Drilon Zenelaj2, Patrick P. Potts3, Harald Havir1, Sebastian Lehmann1, Kimberly A. Dick1,4, Peter Samuelsson2, and Ville F. Maisi1,†

  • 1NanoLund and Solid State Physics, Lund University, Box 118, 22100 Lund, Sweden
  • 2NanoLund and Mathematical Physics, Lund University, Box 118, 22100 Lund, Sweden
  • 3Department of Physics, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 82, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
  • 4Center for Analysis and Synthesis, Lund University, Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden

  • *subhomoy.haldar@ftf.lth.se
  • †ville.maisi@ftf.lth.se

Phys. Rev. B 109, L081403 – Published 15 February, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.109.L081403

Abstract

We demonstrate a microwave power-to-electrical energy conversion in a resonator-coupled double quantum dot. The system, operated as a photodiode, converts individual microwave photons to electrons tunneling through the double dot, resulting in an electrical current flowing against the applied voltage bias at input powers down to 1 fW. The device attains a maximum power harvesting efficiency of 2%, with the photon-to-electron conversion efficiency reaching 12% in the single-photon absorption regime. We find that the power conversion depends on thermal effects showing that thermodynamics plays a crucial role in the single-photon energy conversion.

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