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arXiv:1606.04407

Integrated Silicon Photonic Transmitter for Polarization-Encoded Quantum Key Distribution

Chaoxuan Ma, Wesley D. Sacher, Zhiyuan Tang, Jared C. Mikkelsen, Yisu Yang, Feihu Xu, Hoi‐Kwong Lo, Joyce K. S. Poon

Published Jun 14, 2016• 5 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We present a silicon optical transmitter for polarization-encoded quantum key distribution (QKD). The chip was fabricated in a standard silicon photonic foundry process and integrated a pulse generator, intensity modulator, variable optical attenuator, and polarization modulator in a 1.3 mm $\times$ 3 mm die area. The devices in the photonic circuit meet the requirements for QKD. The transmitter was used in a proof-of-concept demonstration of the BB84 QKD protocol over a 5 km long fiber link.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.1606.04407

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We present a silicon optical transmitter for polarization-encoded quantum key distribution (QKD). The chip was fabricated in a standard silicon photonic foundry process and integrated a pulse generator, intensity modulator, variable optical attenuator, and polarization modulator in a 1.3 mm ×\times× 3 mm die area. The devices in the photonic circuit meet the requirements for QKD. The transmitter was used in a proof-of-concept demonstration of the BB84 QKD protocol over a 5 km long fiber link.
Silicon (Si) photonics is forming a fabless ecosystem, which is enabling low-cost and densely integrated components for optical communications and quantum information. We present a Si optical transmitter for polarization-encoded quantum key distribution (QKD). The chip was fabricated in a standard Si photonic foundry process and integrated together a pulse generator, intensity modulator, variable optical attenuator, and polarization modulator in a 1.3 mm×3 mm1.3 mm×3 mm die area. The devices in the photonic circuit meet the requirements for QKD. The transmitter was used in a proof-of-concept demonstration of the BB84 QKD protocol over a 5 km long fiber link. This work shows the potential of using foundry Si photonics for low-cost, wafer-scale fabricated components for quantum information.
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Photonic chip integration would greatly benefit quantum key distribution (QKD) systems for secure communication, in terms of compactness, scalability, and well-established fabrication techniques. This study demonstrates proof of concept for an all-chip measurement-device-independent QKD system using integrated silicon photonic technology. The prototype generates a key rate per pulse of $2.923\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$ over a distance corresponding to 50 km of standard fiber with 25% detection efficiency; the system is projected to be able to work at 120 km with 85% detection efficiency. This technology shows great promise for highly integrated quantum communication networks.
Silicon photonic technologies exploit silicon as an optical material to build a wide array of devices and systems. The flexibility, modularity, and stability of silicon photonic systems provide unprecedented opportunities for next-generation quantum key distribution (QKD) and quantum networking. This doctoral thesis focuses on the design, simulation, fabrication, and experiment of QKD chips based on silicon photonics. Crucial components for QKD chips are designed and fabricated, including the grating coupler, polarization beam splitter, polarization rotator, modulator, photodetector, ring resonator, and interferometer. Using these components, chip-based continuous variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) is demonstrated for the first time. The chip-based CV-QKD system is capable of producing a secret key rate of 9.3 kbits/s (under collective attack) at a distance of 100 km in fiber. The successful demonstration of a single chip-based QKD offers new possibilities for low-cost, scalable and portable quantum networks.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides information-theoretic security independent of computational assumptions, yet the bulk and cost of current systems hinder large-scale deployment. Although integrated photonic technologies have enabled highly integrated QKD chips, practical QKD transmitters are still predominantly implemented as rack-mounted systems. Here, we demonstrate a highly integrated standalone QKD transmitter that integrates all essential functionalities required for practical QKD operation within a compact platform built around a silicon photonic encoding chip. The transmitter occupies only 167×56×21 mm3167 \times 56 \times 21~\mathrm{mm}^3167×56×21 mm3 (∼0.2 dm3\sim 0.2~\mathrm{dm}^3∼0.2 dm3), comparable in size to a half-height, half-width PCIe card and more than 30 times smaller in volume than a conventional 1U rack-mounted system. Paired with a conventional discrete-component receiver, it achieves a secure key rate of 219.1 kbps over 51.3 km of standard single-mode fiber, with performance comparable to that of conventional discrete-component implementations. This work bridges the gap between photonic chip integration and deployable QKD hardware, marking an important step toward transitioning QKD transmitters from conventional rack-mounted equipment to compact board-level platforms.