High-purity single photon sources (SPS) that can operate at room temperature are highly desirable for a myriad of applications, including quantum photonics and quantum key distribution. In this work, we realise an ultra-bright solid-state SPS based on an atomic defect in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) integrated with a solid immersion lens (SIL). The SIL increases the source efficiency by a factor of six, and the integrated system is capable of producing over ten million single photons per second at room temperature. Our results are promising for practical applications of SPS in quantum communication protocols.
@article{arxiv.2201.11882,
title = {Integrated Room Temperature Single Photon Source for Quantum Key Distribution},
author = {Helen Zhi Jie Zeng and Minh Anh Phan Ngyuen and Xiaoyu Ai and Adam Bennet and Alexander Solnstev and Arne Laucht and Ali Al-Juboori and Milos Toth and Rich Mildren and Robert Malaney and Igor Aharonovich},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2201.11882},
year = {2022}
}