I-Corps: Low-energy High-speed Optical Interconnects for Quantum Computers

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to improve interconnects between low-temperature quantum computing systems and the end users by using optical signal transmission. This method provides an alternative to the current electric signal transmission lines, which are easily disturbed by thermal noise. The project will address the current technological challenge of combining, as a single information circuit, the quantum computing systems and high-speed optical information distribution networks. Specifically, the project will (i) enable significant increases to the data processing and transfer rates for the end user and (ii) reduce the overall power consumption of the system. The proposed innovation will potentially enable to shift the quantum computing paradigm from the current experimental stage to large-scale applications in industry including big data science, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and drag discovery, and financial forecasting, as well as national security by including robust quantum-encrypted communication and quantum sensing.This I-Corps project will further develop optical interconnects for quantum computing. The proposed technology utilizes cavity polaritons, which are photons dressed with charges in a semiconductor optical microcavity and, unlike photons in vacuum or dielectrics, are extremely sensitive to electric fields. This enables re-routing, switching on and off the light by means of the electric pulses from the qubit readout system. The use of emergent two-dimensional excitonic materials such as transition metal chalcogenides helps to significantly increase the light-matter interactions and thereby to improve the stability of the data transfer protocol by increasing the working speed, lowering latency and reducing the power consumption in the system. The latter will allow mitigation of the cooling power constraints for maintaining the cryogenic quantum computing data-transfer module.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.