Project description
Special material could enable reconfigurable and scalable quantum photonic circuits
Photonic circuits are important for quantum technology, but face challenges with key parts that include modulators and detectors. Current modulators are large, slow and inefficient, while detectors cannot adapt during operations as they only work at the end of a circuit. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the D-TEC project aims to use indium tin oxide, which demonstrates unique properties at very cold temperatures, to reduce ohmic losses and achieve superconductivity. These properties enable the development of faster and more flexible modulators and detectors, thereby making quantum photonic circuits more dynamic and scalable.
Objective
Photonic integrated circuit implementations hold great promise for quantum technology, but practical large-scale integration is limited by the capabilities and performance of key components for processing and measuring quantum information, particularly phase-shifters and single-photon detectors. Current modulators fall short due to either high losses, large size, slow speed, energy inefficiency and/or excessive heat dissipation, making them incompatible with superconducting cryoelectronics. In the other hand, while superconducting detector technology has seen significant progress, their integration into photonic circuits lacks the flexibility needed for dynamic (mid-circuit measurements, feed-forward) reconfigurability, as detectors need to be placed at the output of the network and classical data is only being retrieved at the final stage. Project D-TEC, addresses these challenges by exploiting a novel class of electro-optic modulator for quantum photonics at cryogenic temperatures, featuring the epsilon-near- zero (ENZ) effect. Specifically, indium tin oxide-(ITO)-based electro-optic modulators show a strong ENZ effect, which enhances the local optical field and produces a large refractive index change near the ENZ wavelength. When operated at liquid helium temperatures, two significant effects occur simultaneously. First, ohmic losses of ITO material are reduced, amplifying the local-field enhancement of the ENZ effect to unprecedented levels. Second, ITO exhibits superconductivity at critical temperatures below 5 K. It thus becomes possible to create phase modulators with performance far beyond the state-of-the-art and a completely novel type of single photon detector, with tunable photon absorption capabilities. These innovations enable fast, cryo-compatible circuit reconfigurability and the possibility of introducing feed-forward and mid-circuit measurements, enabling a new dynamic quantum photonic computing paradigm with vast potential for scalability.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry noble gases
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry post-transition metals
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics superconductivity
- natural sciences physical sciences theoretical physics particle physics photons
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
48149 Muenster
Germany
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