Silicon Photonic Quantum Computing

Rohit Chaurasiya, Devanshi Arora

Rajeev Gupta, Rajesh Singh, Anita Gehlot +11 more

Silicon photonics is rapidly evolving as an advanced chip framework for implementing quantum technologies. With the help of silicon photonics, general-purpose programmable networks with hundreds of discrete components have been developed. These networks can compute quantum states generated on-chip as well as more extraordinary functions like quantum transmission and random number generation. In particular, the interfacing of silicon photonics with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) microelectronics enables us to build miniaturized quantum devices for next-generation sensing, communication, and generating randomness for assembling quantum computers. In this review, we assess the significance of silicon photonics and its interfacing with microelectronics for achieving the technology milestones in the next generation of quantum computers and quantum communication. To this end, especially, we have provided an overview of the mechanism of a homodyne detector and the latest state-of-the-art of measuring squeezed light along with its integration on a photonic chip. Finally, we present an outlook on future studies that are considered beneficial for the wide implementation of silicon photonics for distinct data-driven applications with maximum throughput.

Chuck Easttom

Mercedes Gimeno-Segovia

General purpose quantum computers require millions of physical qubits, thus requiring an underlying qubit technology that can be manufactured at scale. Photons make great qubits, they are cheap to produce, resilient to noise and the only known option for quantum communication. Most crucially, they can be efficiently manipulated with silicon photonics, an intrinsically scalable and manufacturable platform in which all the fundamental quantum gates can be implemented.

Lukas Chrostowski

This presentation will describe Canada’s silicon photonics rapid prototyping consortium, SiEPICfab, and how it can accelerate silicon photonics research and development in quantum information processing. We use electron beam lithography (EBL) to fabricate either individual chips or wafers ranging from 100 mm to 200 mm in size. Fabrication includes waveguides, high-efficiency thermo-optic phase shifters, silicon doping for modulators/heaters/defect-mediated detectors, Bragg grating filters, and NEMS-tunable photonic crystals. Rapid prototyping also allows us to fabricate advanced devices not available in foundries, such as single photon detectors. Finally, successful demonstration of silicon photonic circuits requires testing and packaging - both electrical and optical - and we describe our plans for photonic wire bonding of silicon photonic chips to optical fibres and III-V chips.

Steven P. Hotaling, Andrew R. Pirich