Random number generators are essential to ensure performance in information technologies, including cryptography, stochastic simulations and massive data processing.The quality of random numbers ultimately determines the security and privacy that can be achieved, while the speed at which they can be generated poses limits to the utilisation of the available resources.In this work we propose and demonstrate a quantum entropy source for random number generation on an indium phosphide photonic integrated circuit made possible by a new design using two-laser interference and heterodyne detection.The resulting device offers high-speed operation with unprecedented security guarantees and reduced form factor.It is also compatible with complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology, opening the path to its integration in computation and communication electronic cards, which is particularly relevant for the intensive migration of information processing and storage tasks from local premises to cloud data centres.
Random number generators are essential to ensure performance in information technologies, including cryptography, stochastic simulations and massive data processing.The quality of random numbers ultimately determines the security and privacy that can be achieved, while the speed at which they can be generated poses limits to the utilisation of the available resources.In this work we propose and demonstrate a quantum entropy source for random number generation on an indium phosphide photonic integrated circuit made possible by a new design using two-laser interference and heterodyne detection.The resulting device offers high-speed operation with unprecedented security guarantees and reduced form factor.It is also compatible with complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology, opening the path to its integration in computation and communication electronic cards, which is particularly relevant for the intensive migration of information processing and storage tasks from local premises to cloud data centres.
Quantum physics may be exploited for the generation of true random numbers, important in many applications, including cryptography and scientific simulations. In this paper, the performance of a monolithically integrated quantum random number generator on an indium phosphide platform is simulated using Lumerical INTERCONNECT. The device offers a better level of security than fully trusted systems, making no assumptions about the quantum source. The system is also compact, with a secure generation rate of 13.3984 Gb/s.
Securing information has been a concern for more than 4,000 years, but in the times in which we are connecting every single aspect of our businesses and lives, developing secure products and infrastructures has become a global priority. Remarkably, quantum technologies bring unique possibilities for the cryptographic world. In this talk, we will describe recent efforts on the development of a highly integrated quantum entropy source, a key component to generate unpredictable cryptographic keys in any connected device. In particular, we will present the integration of two quantum entropy sources, one in Silicon Photonics and the other in Indium Phosphide. The devices are based on the accelerated phase diffusion process observed in pulsed semiconductor lasers, a macroscopic quantum effect resulting from microscopic spontaneous emission events. Both chip implementations enable Gb/s generation rates in form factors below 2mm x 5mm in indium Phosphide and 0.5mm x 1mm in Silicon Photonics. Our results show progress towards the industrialization of quantum devices using standard semiconductor production lines and processes.
Quantum mechanics provides a secure means of generating random numbers, with applications in fields spanning scientific simulation to cryptography. The first source-device-independent monolithically integrated quantum random number generator is reported. With a generation rate of 35 Gbit/s, the device is based on an InP photonic integrated circuit with a quantum vacuum state entropy source, sampled by heterodyne coherent detection using an optical local oscillator. The entire device is conveniently housed in a black box and includes all the necessary driving and signal conditioning electronics, with electrical interfaces only; the exhibited security, compactness, and fast generation rate make the generator suitable for applications in QKD.
Quantum mechanics provides a secure means of generating random numbers, with applications in fields spanning scientific simulation to cryptography. The first source-device-independent monolithically integrated quantum random number generator is reported. With a generation rate of 35 Gbit/s, the device is based on an InP photonic integrated circuit with a quantum vacuum state entropy source, sampled by heterodyne coherent detection using an optical local oscillator. The entire device is conveniently housed in a black box and includes all the necessary driving and signal conditioning electronics, with electrical interfaces only; the exhibited security, compactness, and fast generation rate make the generator suitable for applications in QKD.
Quantum random number generators, at the core of digital trust infrastructures, rely on quantum entropy sources (QESs) to produce randomness from physical processes. The quantum origin certification of a QES requires a physical model compatible with the measured signal of the device. Here, we study Quside Technologies' phase-diffusion QES consisting of a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) that uses the interference of two indium phosphide (InP) lasers operated in gain-switching by simultaneously modulating their pump currents from below to above the threshold. This produces intensity pulses in each laser that have random optical phases due to quantum spontaneous emission. The lasers' intensities interfere via heterodyning, and from the interference signal a random bit is obtained per modulation cycle. While this system offers high scalability and compactness, residual coupling between the two lasers can induce phase synchronization, thus reducing its extractable entropy. Through experiments and simulations of a physical model based on coupled stochastic rate equations, we quantify this effect and link laser coupling to phase synchronization. We further derive an analytical model for the probability distribution of the measured interference intensity, enabling direct extraction of the quantum phase difference distribution and laying the groundwork for the QES optimization.
The security of electronic devices has become a key requisite for the rapidly-expanding pervasive and hyper-connected world. Robust security protocols ensuring secure communication, device's resilience to attacks, authentication control and users privacy need to be implemented. Random Number Generators (RNGs) are the fundamental primitive in most secure protocols but, often, also the weakest one. Establishing security in billions of devices requires high quality random data generated at a sufficiently high throughput. On the other hand, the RNG should exhibit a high integration level with on-chip extraction to remove, in real time, potential imperfections. We present the first integrated Quantum RNG (QRNG) in a standard CMOS technology node. The QRNG is based on a parallel array of independent Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs), homogeneously illuminated by a DC-biased LED, and co-integrated logic circuits for postprocessing. We describe the randomness generation process and we prove the quantum origin of entropy. We show that co-integration of combinational logic, even of high complexity, does not affect the quality of randomness. Our CMOS QRNG can reach up to 400 Mbit/s throughput with low power consumption. Thanks to the use of standard CMOS technology and a modular architecture, our QRNG is suitable for a highly scalable solution.