Integrated Photonics with Rare-earth Ions for Quantum Network Technologies

by Sean Sullivan (memQ)

Monday Feb 19, 2024, 1:00 PM → 2:00 PM America/Chicago

Hardware for large-scale quantum networks will need to meet stringent requirements to enable the generation, storage, and distribution of quantum information. Principal challenges include close matching of photon energy with existing qubit architectures, long-lived and efficient quantum memories, telecom wavelength operation, and the ability to reliably manufacture many identical low-loss hardware components for fully transparent networks. Rare-earth ions’ weakly coupled inner-shell transitions and long optical and spin coherence times offer opportunities for high quality sources and quantum memories at telecom wavelengths. Meanwhile, their relative insensitivity to the environment, narrow optical linewidths, and ability to be doped into CMOS-compatible host materials pair well with traditional semiconductor foundry-scale processing and leverages the past several decades of infrastructure built around silicon photonics. Here, we highlight recent progress in marrying rare-earth ions with silicon photonics, including quasi-deterministic placement of qubits. We additionally outline our vision – and the outstanding challenges – for REI-based quantum networking hardware.

Presentation