Single-Photon Light Sources for Quantum Technologies

Projektinformationen

QTOOL

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 190120340

DOI

10.3030/190120340

Projekt abgeschlossen

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 20 Juni 2022

Startdatum 1 April 2022

Enddatum 30 September 2024

Finanziert unter

• The European Innovation Council (EIC)

Gesamtkosten

€ 3 579 225,00

EU-Beitrag

€ 2 490 742,63

Koordiniert durch

SPARROW QUANTUM ApS
Denmark

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - QTOOL (Single-Photon Light Sources for Quantum Technologies)

Berichtszeitraum: 2023-07-01 bis 2024-09-30

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

Quantum technologies leverage the unique quantum properties of matter to revolutionize various fields, including computing, sensing, and communications. In these advancements, optical quantum particles known as single photons play a crucial role.
The Sparrow Quantum technology, built on expertise and patents licensed from the Niels Bohr Institute, powers the QTOOL project to accelerate quantum research and enable previously unattainable innovations. The project delivers four products:

1. Free-space chip: For optical lab experiments in single-photon physics.
2. Fiber-coupled chip: A plug-and-play source for use beyond photonics labs.
3. Full plug-and-play system: Integrates into third-party systems for computing or telecom infrastructure.
4. O-band system: Transmits single photons via telecom optical fibers.

Learn more at www.sparrowquantum.com.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

In the first part of the project, we developed the commercial free-space single photon chip. This chip is operated through free-space optical lenses. To use the chip, the customer needs an optical lab with optical tables, free space optics, a pulsed tunable laser, and a cryostat with optical lenses. The chip has been tested, and our customers confirmed that the chip has market-leading specs. The chip has been sold and installed in several European labs.

In the second part of the project, we developed in-house capabilities for gluing an optical fiber to the chip. This greatly simplifies the operation of the device. During the project, the gluing procedure was refined and optimized to give reproducible high-quality fiber couplings. We have also implemented new protocols for the excitation and collection of the photons which increase the specs of the system.

The last part of the project was to integrate the fiber-coupled chip into a full plug-and-play rack-mounted system. For the system, we used a commercial cryostat from Attocube designed for the integration of fiber-coupled products, and a commercial laser, while the other parts, including an optical module for excitation and output filtering, were developed internally. The full system was successfully delivered to Orca computing and will be part of a quantum computing system delivered for the UK testbed in 2025.

The single-photon source emits photons at 950nm. This wavelength is incompatible with the telecom infrastructure. We have therefore in parallel working on a product emitting at 1310nm, the telecom o-band. During the project we have developed the recipes for growing quantum dots that emit at this wavelength and an O-band single photon source product is expected to be launched in 2025.

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

In the project, we have developed a commercial deterministic single photon source with the leading specs in the market. Our achievements have been acknowledged by key quantum optics labs that have purchased the chips and are now using them for groundbreaking quantum photonics experiments.

We have engineered the device into a robust plug-and-play system that allows for operating the system outside the optical lab, i.e. in computer and telecommunication centers. This allows for integrating the product into full telecom and quantum computing systems. The first system will be delivered to the UK quantum computing test bed in Q1 2025. We have built the base technology for delivering systems that emit high-quality photons in the telecom o-band. Commercial versions of these systems will be released in 2025 and pave the way for integration of the product into quantum communication systems.

To take the technology to the next level Sparrow needs to establish its own production facilities and this will be the next phase of Sparrow Quantum’s commercial journey. The required funding will be achieved through the equity part of the Qtool project.

The Sparrow Single-Photon Chip Prototype

The Sparrow Core Technology

The Sparrow Quantum Fibre-Coupled Prototype