Single photons on demand from tunable 3D photonic band-gap structures

In this article we propose to build a (semi-)deterministic photon gun by modifying the spontaneous decay in a photonic band-gap material. We show that such a device allows for deterministic and unidirectional single-photon emission with a repetition rate of the order of 100 kHz. We describe a specific realization of the 1D band-gap model by means of a 3D photonic-crystal heterostructure and the feasability of implementing such a device using Er 3þ ions that produce single photons at the telecommunication wavelength of 1:55 mm, important for many applications.