Optical parametric amplification is expected as a key technique for high-speed optical fiber communication and optical quantum computing.We developed a high-gain and broadband optical parametric amplifier (OPA) module by using a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide, the single-mode core of which is directly bonded to a lithium tantalate substrate.The OPA is assembled as a pump-combiner-integrated module with four optical-fiber input/output ports.By improving the fabrication processes of the PPLN waveguide and the assembly techniques of OPA modules, we achieved over-30-dB phase sensitive amplification with a continuous-wave pump.By using the PPLN waveguide, we successfully obtained over-6-dB squeezed light, the spectral bandwidth of which was 2.5 THz.This high-gain broadband OPA module will help build an advanced information society.
Optical parametric amplification is expected as a key technique for high-speed optical fiber communication and optical quantum computing.We developed a high-gain and broadband optical parametric amplifier (OPA) module by using a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide, the single-mode core of which is directly bonded to a lithium tantalate substrate.The OPA is assembled as a pump-combiner-integrated module with four optical-fiber input/output ports.By improving the fabrication processes of the PPLN waveguide and the assembly techniques of OPA modules, we achieved over-30-dB phase sensitive amplification with a continuous-wave pump.By using the PPLN waveguide, we successfully obtained over-6-dB squeezed light, the spectral bandwidth of which was 2.5 THz.This high-gain broadband OPA module will help build an advanced information society.
A continuous-wave (CW) broadband high-level optical quadrature squeezer is essential for high-speed large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computing on a time-domain-multiplexed continuous-variable optical cluster state. CW THz-bandwidth squeezed light can be obtained with a waveguide optical parametric amplifier (OPA); however, the squeezing level has been insufficient for applications of fault-tolerant quantum computation because of degradation of the squeezing level due to their optical losses caused by the structural perturbation and pump-induced phenomena. Here, by using mechanical polishing processes, we fabricated a low-loss quasi-single-mode periodically poled LiNbO3 (PPLN) waveguide, which shows 7% optical propagation loss with a waveguide length of 45 mm. Using the waveguide, we assembled a low-loss fiber-pigtailed OPA module with a total insertion loss of 21%. Thanks to its directly bonded core on a LiTaO3 substrate, the waveguide does not show pump-induced optical loss even under a condition of hundreds of milliwatts pumping. Furthermore, the quasi-single-mode structure prohibits excitation of higher-order spatial modes and enables us to obtain larger squeezing level. Even with including optical coupling loss of the modularization, we observe 6.3-dB squeezed light from the DC component up to a 6.0-THz sideband in a fully fiber-closed optical system. By excluding the losses due to imperfections of the modularization and detection, the squeezing level at the output of the PPLN waveguide is estimated to be over 10 dB. Our waveguide squeezer is a promising quantum light source for high-speed large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computing.
We have developed an optical parametric amplification module for quadrature squeezing with input and output ports coupled with optical fibers for both fundamental and second harmonic. The module consists of a periodically poled LiNbO3ridge waveguide fabricated with dry etching, dichroic beamsplitters, lenses and four optical fiber pigtales. The high durability of the waveguide and the good separation of squeezed light from a pump beam by the dichroic beamsplitter enable us to inject intense continuous-wave pump light with the power of over 300 mW. We perform -4.0±0.1 dB of noise reduction for a vacuum state at 1553.3 nm by using a fiber-optics-based measurement setup, which consists of a fiber-optic beamsplitter and a homemade fiber-receptacle balanced detector. The intrinsic loss of the squeezed vacuum in the module is estimated to be 25%. Excluding the extrinsic loss of the measuremental system, the squeezing level in the output fiber of the module is estimated to be -5.7±0.1 dB. A modularized alignment-free fiber-coupled quadrature squeezer could help to realize quantum information processing with fiber optics.
We report generation of 10.1\pm0.2-dB squeezed light from a broadband periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide optical parametric amplifier (OPA). Based on our previous report where a similar PPLN waveguide shows 8.3-dB squeezing [T. Kashiwazaki et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 122, 234003 (2023)], we reduce phase fluctuations and overall optical losses in the measurement system. In particular, we introduce a novel phase detection technique that does not require tapping a part of the squeezed light to get a phase locking signal. We use a phase-detection OPA seeded by a tapped probe and pump light before a squeezer OPA. This configuration breaks the conventional trade-off between generating a phase-locking signal with high-signal-to-noise ratio and suppressing degradation of squeezing level caused by optical tapping. With all these improvements, the phase fluctuation angle is reduced from 14 mrad to 9 mrad, and the total optical loss from 12\% to 8\%. Achieving more than 10 dB of squeezing by the broadband waveguide OPA is a significant step towards realization of fault-tolerant ultra-fast universal optical quantum computation.
Optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) are promising to overcome the wavelength coverage and noise limitations in conventional optical amplifiers based on rare-earth doping and semiconductor gain. However, the high power requirement remains a major obstacle to the widespread use of OPAs. Integrated OPAs can in principle improve the pump efficiency with tight mode confinement; however, challenges associated with propagation loss, limited nonlinearity, and susceptibility to nanoscale fabrication imperfections prevent them from competing with conventional bulk and fiber-based OPAs. Here, we demonstrate a highly efficient integrated OPAs with continuous-wave net gain. The pump efficiency is improved by over one order of magnitude. Phase-sensitive gain of 23.5 dB is demonstrated, significantly exceeding previous integrated OPAs, using only 110 mW pump power and no cavity enhancement. This is achieved with parametric down-conversion in thin-film lithium niobate waveguides using the adapted poling technique to maintain the coherence of nonlinear interactions. Moreover, the high parametric gain exceeds fibre-chip-fibre losses, leading to appreciable net gain up to 10 dB. The 3 dB bandwidth is approximately 120 nm, covering telecommunication S-, C-, and Lbands. Quantum-limited noise performance is confirmed through the measurement of output field fluctuation below the classical limit. We further demonstrate that signalto-noise ratio in noisy optical communications can be increased by leveraging this efficient integrated OPA. Our work marks a significant step towards ideal optical amplifiers with strong amplification, high efficiency, quantum-limited noise, large bandwidth, and continuous-wave operation, unlocking new possibilities for next-generation photonic information processing systems.
We report detection of 10.1 ± 0.2-dB squeezed light from a broadband periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide optical parametric amplifier (OPA). Based on our previous report, where a similar PPLN waveguide shows 8.3-dB squeezing [T. Kashiwazaki et al ., Appl. Phys. Lett. 122 , 234003 ( 2023 ) 10.1063/5.0144385 ], we reduce phase fluctuations and overall optical losses in the measurement system. In particular, we introduce a phase detection technique that does not require tapping a part of the squeezed light to get a phase locking signal. We use a phase-detection OPA seeded by a tapped probe and pump light before a squeezer OPA. This configuration breaks the conventional trade-off between generating a phase-locking signal with a high signal-to-noise ratio and suppressing the degradation of the squeezing level caused by optical tapping. With all these improvements, the phase fluctuation angle is reduced from 14 mrad to 9 mrad, and the total optical loss from 12% to 8%. Achieving more than 10 dB of squeezing by the broadband waveguide OPA is a significant step towards the realization of fault-tolerant ultra-fast universal optical quantum computation.
Terahertz (THz)-bandwidth continuous-wave (CW) squeezed light is essential for integrating quantum processors with time-domain multiplexing (TDM) by using optical delay line interferometers. Here, we utilize a single-pass optical parametric amplifier (OPA) based on a single-spatial-mode periodically poled ZnO:LiNbO3 waveguide, which is directly bonded onto a LiTaO3 substrate. The single-pass OPA allows THz bandwidth, and the absence of higher-order spatial modes in the single-spatial-mode structure helps avoid degradation of squeezing. In addition, the directly bonded ZnO-doped waveguide has durability for high-power pump and shows small photorefractive damage. Using this waveguide, we observe CW 6.3-dB squeezing at 20-MHz sideband by balanced homodyne detection. This is the first realization of CW squeezing with a single-pass OPA at a level exceeding 4.5 dB, which is required for the generation of a two-dimensional cluster state. Furthermore, the squeezed light shows 2.5-THz spectral bandwidth. The squeezed light will lead to the development of a high-speed on-chip quantum processor using TDM with a centimeter-order optical delay line.