CEA-Leti Intent to Develop Quantum-Photonics Platform
CEA-Leti has reported the plans to build a quantum-photonics platform to develop next-generation technologies for key industries that require ultra-secure data transmission.
Funded by Carnot, a French multidisciplinary network that pursues R&D which benefits society, the project will build on CEA-Leti’s silicon-photonics platform complemented with new quantum characterization equipment for designing, processing and testing quantum-photonic integrated components and circuits. The institute uses photons to build quantum bits, or qubits, which are the best physical means for quantum communications.
“Almost daily, we read about breaches of standard cryptography protocols, with major financial-loss and security-risk implications, and the threat to critical infrastructures, such as power-supply systems,” said Ségolène Olivier, R&D project leader at CEA-Leti and coordinator of this project. “With the future advent of quantum computers, the risk will drastically increase as current encryption algorithms will not be safe anymore. Quantum cryptography is the solution to this problem as it is not vulnerable to computing power.”
“Carnot’s long and fruitful scientific relationship with CEA-Leti has helped bring many innovative solutions and products to companies and consumers in Europe and around the world,” said Susanna Bonnetier, vice president of the Carnot network. “Its silicon-photonics platform is a very promising platform for developing quantum-communication links that will extend this legacy by protecting highly sensitive corporate, government and personal information.”
The three-year project will fabricate silicon-photonics circuits that generate single photons, manipulate those photons with linear optical components such as slow and rapid phase shifters and detect them with superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPD). The project will build demonstrators for transmitting and receiving information in a quantum-based system to deliver quantum technology’s promise for ultra-secure cryptography.
Beyond these demonstrators, the CEA-Leti team will focus on integrating the qubit transmitter and the qubit receiver on one unique platform to address also quantum computing applications.
