Highly efficient nonreciprocity and nonreciprocal photonic devices in a semiconductor quantum well

Abstract

We propose theoretically a non-magnetic optical nonreciprocity (ONR) scheme with high efficiency by employing the four-wave mixing (FWM) effect in an asymmetric semiconductor three-coupled-quantum-well (TCQW) nanostructure. Nonreciprocal transmission and nonreciprocal phase shift in this TCQW, both with high transmission rates, can be achieved using suitable parameters. Considering an orbital-angular-momentum (OAM) probe beam, the perfect nonreciprocity can be obtained based on the highly efficient FWM. Furthermore, the integration of this TCQW nanostructure into a Mach–Zehnder interferometer enables the fabrication of highly efficient optical isolators and optical circulators by selecting appropriate parameters. The optical isolator exhibits an isolation ratio of 97.76 dB and an insertion loss of 0.25 dB, while the optical circulator demonstrates a fidelity of 0.9993 and a photon survival probability of 0.9517. Our approach based on semiconductor media has the advantages of easy fabrication and good integration with adjustable parameters. In conjunction with the distinctive characteristics of the OAM beam, our protocol offers a theoretical framework for the development of highly integrated and multi-dimensional nonreciprocity and nonreciprocal photonic devices.