Application of Integrated Photonics to Quantum Cryptography

Project summary: Quantum communication is based on encoding information on single photons transmitted over optical networks. The technique provides a way of distributing secret digital keys on optical fibres that can subsequently be used for encrypting and authenticating data. Although the practicality of quantum communication has been demonstrated in several field trials, the technology is still relatively bulky and expensive, and the performance limited. This project will investigate new techniques that significantly reduce the size, weight, and power (SWaP) of quantum communications, while also allowing an increase in performance. One promising approach for reducing the SWaP involves integrating the optical circuit onto a tiny semiconductor chip, which can be mass produced using conventional semiconductor processing techniques. This project will explore this approach for implementing quantum key distribution and quantum random number generator systems. Relevant research areas: Quantum devices components and systems.