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Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has been awarded a research program from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a standard fiber to photonic chip connector based on gray-scale 3D printing.

As progress in quantum information and computation leads to various ground-breaking technologies, there is a need for developing protocols to integrate systems to form quantum networks. The largest holdup for quantum networking is optical loss, which reduces quantum information fidelity and occurs at the component and system-level interconnects. Developing ultra-low loss interconnects is critical for realizing quantum networks in the near-term.

As more quantum technologies take advantage of photonic and electronic integrated circuits, techniques are required for efficiently extracting light off chip and into long-distance fibers that connect the network. PSI’s gray-scale lithography approach provides the best control of connector geometries, optical interfaces, and refractive indices of any technology and thus will allow the lowest optical losses and develop swappable design that are customized for different quantum platforms.

PSI’s mode-converter technology will enable ultra-low loss optical interconnects between integrated chips and current fiber-based networks, greatly increasing the capacity of near-term quantum networks without the bottleneck of optical loss limiting the network scale. This approach will reduce infrastructure requirements to expedite development of some of the first quantum networks. These devices will become key components for every node within a quantum network, which will enable advanced quantum computing, secure communication, and distributed quantum sensing. Additionally, low-loss interconnects could also have a major role in classical telecommunications as well, increasing system efficiency and bandwidth.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Joel Hensley
Vice President, Photonics
hensley@psicorp.com
Physical Sciences Inc.
Telephone: (978) 689-0003