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Optical Fiber Communication Conference

Integrated Polarization Beam Splitter Module for Polarization-Encoded Free-Space BB84 QKD

Joong‐Seon Choe, H. Ko, Byung‐Seok Choi, K. -J. Kim, Chun Ju Youn

Published Jan 1, 2018• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present an integrated polarization beam splitter module for free-space BB84 quantum key distribution. The module is based on silica PLC birefringent Mach-Zehnder interferometer chip, and replaces successfully the bulk-optic-based polarization splitting subsystem of BB84 quantum key distribution test-bed operating at 780 nm.
DOI
10.1364/ofc.2018.th2a.5

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We have developed an integrated polarization beam splitter (PBS) module with silica planar lightwave circuit technology for use in BB84 quantum key distribution (QKD). The PBS module is designed to operate on four linear polarizations of the horizontal/vertical/diagonal/antidiagonal direction, and shows the minimum polarization extinction ratio of 17.6 dB. When the module is loaded on the free-space BB84 QKD test-bed, quantum bit error rate and sifted key rate are 2.81% and 415 kb/s at clock rate of 100 MHz, respectively.
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Many improvements are required to bring quantum key distribution (QKD) from the laboratory to the commercial market, such as simplifying structure and enhancing stability. In this letter, a QKD module based on planar lightwave circuit (PLC) has been proposed. The chip inside module is based on silica-silicon material and composed of various optical splitter, asymmetric Mach–Zehnder interferometer and directional coupler. The module can allow users adjust temperature stably. The interference visibility can be high to 96% merely by controlling and stabilizing temperature and voltage of the module through self-interfering method which showed its potential in practical application.
A quantum key distribution transmitter chip based on hybrid-integration of silica planar light-wave circuit (PLC) and lithium niobates (LN) modulator PLC is presented. The silica part consists of a tunable directional coupler and 400-ps delay line, and the LN part is made up of a Y-branch, with electro-optic modulators on both arms. The two parts are facet-coupled to form an asymmetric Mach–Zehnder interferometer. We successfully encode and decode four BB84 states at 156.25-MHz repetition rate. Fast phase-encoding of 0 or π is achieved, with interference fringe visibilities 78.53% and 82.68% for states |+〉 and |–〉, respectively. With the aid of an extra off-chip LN intensity modulator, two time-bin states are prepared and the extinction ratios are 18.65 dB and 15.46 dB for states |0〉 and |1〉, respectively.
Various technologies for performing discrete-variable (DV) quantum key distribution (QKD) with integrated electro-optical circuits are described herein. An integrated DV-QKD system uses Mach-Zehnder modulators (MZMs) to modulate a polarization of photons at a transmitter and select a photon polarization measurement basis at a receiver. A transmitter of a DV-QKD system further uses phase shifters to correct for non-idealities of the MZM in output provided to a polarization beam splitter. A receiver of a DV-QKD system can use phase shifters between a polarization beam splitter and an MZM to correct for non-idealities of the polarization beam splitter and the MZM on the receiver side.