Quantum key distribution using a triggered quantum dot source emitting near 1.3μm
P. M. Intallura, M. B. Ward, O. Z. Karimov, Z. L. Yuan, P. See, A. J. Shields, P. Atkinson, D. A. Ritchie · Applied Physics Letters · 2007
We report the distribution of a cryptographic key, secure from photon number splitting attacks, over 35km of optical fiber using single photons from an InAs quantum dot emitting ∼1.3μm in a pillar microcavity. Using below GaAs-bandgap optical excitation, we demonstrate suppression of multiphoton emission to 10% of the Poissonian level without detector dark count subtraction. The source is incorporated into a phase encoded interferometric scheme implementing the BB84 protocol for key distribution over standard telecommunication optical fiber. We show a transmission distance advantage over that possible with (length-optimized) uniform intensity weak coherent pulses at 1310nm in the same system.