At the Cambridge Graphene Centre (CGC) today, researchers gathered for the latest talk in the QAMSS Lecture Series, where Prof. Carsten Schuck of the University of Münster presented new advances in integrating quantum photonic technologies onto silicon chips.
In his talk, “Nanophotonic Integration of Quantum Technology Systems,” Schuck discussed how photonic quantum technologies could enable new capabilities in information processing, secure communications and sensing. Achieving this requires multiple devices capable of generating, manipulating and detecting individual photons to be combined within a single scalable platform.
Schuck highlighted progress in integrating three key components on silicon: solid-state single-photon sources, nanophotonic circuits and superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs). Together, these elements could form compact quantum systems suitable for real-world applications.
A central element of this approach is the use of nanobeam photonic crystal cavities, which allow efficient coupling between quantum emitters and photonic waveguides. These structures can reach quality factors of up to 270,000 in the visible spectrum while enabling extremely precise resonance tuning.
Integrated SNSPDs provide fast, highly efficient photon detection with low noise, including minimal dark counts and timing jitter. Such performance enables capabilities including photon-number resolution and rapid quantum measurements.
Schuck noted that integrating these technologies could enable chip-scale quantum key distribution for secure communications and remote sensing with sub-millimetre distance measurements. Scaling up these components, he said, will be key to developing larger quantum photonic circuits and unlocking advantages beyond classical technologies.