Quantum technology research e.g., quantum computing, communication, imaging, sensing, and cryptography, has become a strategic research direction for the future. Silicon photonics (SiPh) integrated-circuit technology offers high-scalability, low-cost functional integration, and the possibility of using photonics to encode and process quantum information under room-temperature operations. One can envision that low-cost, high-quantity integrated silicon-photonics quantum circuits and systems will be at the heart of the future quantum Internet of Things where quantum computing devices will be all linked together by a robust and secure quantum communication network. The long-term goal of this project is to create new mixed-signal circuit techniques and exploit the advantage of SiPh integration capability for future civil quantum applications. The vision of this project is the realization of quantum communication circuits on a CMOS Chip to meet the needs of future quantum applications and information networks by exploiting integrated SiPh circuits for entangled quantum-state preparations, generations and detections. Going along with the existing large-scale industry research efforts, this research on integrated quantum-state and probability measurements has the potential to be a part of commercial quantum devices therefore to have a transformative impact on quantum communication and cryptography. The quantum-state probability measurement apparatus that is proposed to be developed has the potential to be utilized in biological and medical applications, Also, because of the low-cost and low-power implementation approach, the apparatus proposed to be developed has the required functionality and performance for industrial and commercial applications as well as adoption in undergraduate quantum laboratory instructions. The latter of which will potentially accelerate the development of a diverse and globally competitive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce. Developing quantum-mechanics curricula with affordable and accessible quantum experimental verifications and laboratory exercises in community colleges will become possible along with career training opportunities for a socioeconomically diverse pool of learners including under-represented minorities. The overall objective of this research includes two specific aims. The first aim will focus on the theoretical analysis and IC implementation of the high-resolution time-correlated probability measurement technique fabricated in a commercial CMOS process technology. The second aim is the realization of an integrated SiPh real-time quantum measurement apparatus, which can provide the Qubit preparation and detection capabilities on the chip-scale to effectively accelerate the scalability and reliability of future quantum computing and communication systems. Compared to conventional approaches, this research proposes a low-cost and almost fully digital circuit architecture for the high-resolution randomly-sampled averaging process along with a low-power variance reduction technique to simultaneously achieve high-dynamic range and high-accuracy real-time probability measurements. Also, the circuit innovations proposed are based on the random-process and probability theories rather than incremental physical circuit improvements. The attribute of the entire research is planned to be both theoretical and experimental: the theoretical component will include the development and optimization of enhancing digital random-process techniques and their rigorous mathematical analyses; the experimental component will involve the developments of the electronic integrated-circuits and SiPh chip-to-chip integrations.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
