‹
Extracting light from qubits
Analogous to today's Network Interface Cards (NICs) in classical computing, our Qubit-Photon Interfaces enable quantum processors to connect to a quantum network, a crucial step for network-enabled quantum computing scale-out.
The first step to creating quantum computing networks is to efficiently connect qubits to the network. This requires quantum information to be transferred between the qubits that live inside a processor and the photons that make up the quantum optical network. Our Qubit-Photon Interfaces (QPIs) will enable 100x better entanglement rate than current lab state-of-the-art, and at an industrial scale. This technology is the quantum equivalent of today’s Network Interface Cards (NICs) in classical computing, which are used to interconnect computers inside datacentres and have enabled the development and growth of Cloud and AI markets.
Our QPI technology is based on optical microcavities, a well-understood tool for enhancing the interaction between matter and light. In this approach, nanostructured mirrors are placed around qubits to increased light-matter coupling and enable efficient light extraction. We fabricate ultrasmooth mirrors assembled with micron-level precision, with the distance between them actively stabilised to an accuracy of < 5 picometres using our "locking" technology.
Tuning the distance between microcavity mirrors with this level of precision is necessary to ensure the cavity resonance is matched to each qubit's operational wavelength, boosting photon emission and entanglement rates. The cavity also ensures the shape of the emitted light beam can be efficiently coupled into an optical fibre, enabling easy connection to the quantum networking units.
We build custom QPIs for each qubit type, taking into account different material and performance requirements. Our technology is compatible with neutral atoms, trapped ions, solid-state qubits, and adaptable to other modalities. Some of our prototypes have already been validated by leading quantum computing companies, and we are working towards ever tighter levels of integration with their hardware systems.
Links:
Qubit-Photon Interface (QPI): towards unlocking modular and scalable distributed quantum computing