According to a report by Science and Technology Daily, a team from Boston University, the University of California, Berkeley, and Northwestern University has developed the world’s first integrated electronic-photon-quantum chip system. This is the first time that a quantum light source and stable control electronic circuits have been integrated on a single chip, using standard 45-nanometer semiconductor manufacturing processes. This lays the foundation for the mass production of “quantum light factory” chips and the construction of large-scale quantum systems.
The team stated that this is a key step in the development of scalable quantum technology, indicating that it is possible to build repeatable and controllable quantum systems in commercial semiconductor factories.
Just as traditional electronic chips rely on current and optical communication systems rely on lasers, future optical quantum technology will also require stable “quantum light” resources to achieve computation, communication, or sensing. To this end, researchers have constructed a set of “quantum light factories” on silicon chips, each measuring only about 1 millimeter square, yet capable of stably producing entangled photon pairs, which are key resources for quantum information applications.
To ensure that these resonators stably produce photon pairs, it is essential to maintain a high degree of synchronization with the injected laser. Moreover, the devices are extremely sensitive to temperature changes and manufacturing errors; even slight deviations can lead to system failure.
The team’s solution is to integrate an active control system within the chip to perform real-time stabilization and regulation of the micro-ring resonators that generate photons. Each chip contains 12 such photon sources, each of which must maintain high-precision synchronous operation under temperature fluctuations and mutual interference. Researchers embedded photodetectors inside the resonators to monitor their matching status with the laser in real-time, and through on-chip heaters and control logic circuits, they automatically fine-tune the resonance conditions to ensure stable photon pair production.
A key challenge was to design the photon devices within the strict specifications of the commercial complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) platform while maintaining quantum optical performance. This required the team to consider electronics and quantum optics as a unified system from the outset. The chip utilizes a standard 45-nanometer CMOS platform, equipped with a built-in feedback stabilization mechanism that effectively addresses interference from temperature changes and manufacturing errors.
As the scale and complexity of quantum photonic systems continue to increase, such “quantum light factory” chips are expected to become key building blocks for secure communication networks, advanced sensing devices, and even future quantum computing infrastructure. (Source: Science and Technology Daily)
▶ About Us
TrendForce is a global high-tech industry research organization, with research areas covering memory, AI servers, integrated circuits and semiconductors, wafer foundry, display panels, LEDs, AR/VR, new energy (including solar photovoltaics, energy storage, and batteries), AI robotics, and automotive technology. With years of in-depth research, TrendForce is committed to providing forward-looking industry research reports, industry analysis, project planning assessments, corporate strategy consulting, and brand integration marketing services to government and enterprise clients, making it a trusted decision-making partner in the high-tech field.
Swipe up and down to view
Did you discover the “Share” and “Like” buttons? Click to see!