An optical device comprising a quantum dot provided in a resonant confinement structure, an output from said confinement structure and a pulsed excitation source for said quantum dot, wherein the quantum dot is configured to allow the emission of photons having a first energy in response to a pulse from said excitation source, said resonant confinement structure providing optical confinement, the first energy being different to the resonant energy of the resonant confinement structure, the optical device further comprising a timing unit, said timing unit being configured to select photons which have been emitted from the quantum dot due to excitation by a pulse, the timing unit selecting photons emitted after the duration of the pulse which caused the emission of the photons.