Quantum technologies have made a breakthrough: a research team from leading American universities has unveiled the world's first electron-photon quantum chip manufactured on a commercial semiconductor platform. This event may be a turning point in the development of the quantum industry-from basic science to industrial implementation.
The development was made possible by the collaboration of specialists from Boston University, the University of California at Berkeley and Northwestern University. The main achievement is the integration of quantum light sources with a classical electronic control circuit placed on a standard 45-nanometer CMOS platform. This made it possible to use proven methods for mass production of microchips in such a sensitive and previously unstable field as photonic quantum computing.
Each chip contains 12 parallel quantum sources, each of which is capable of generating correlated photon pairs — a key resource for implementing quantum communication and computing protocols. The size of a single source is less than one square millimeter, which makes massive scaling of architectures possible. Researchers call such sites " quantum light factories."
One of the main technical tasks was the control of micro-ring resonators necessary for generating photonic states. These structures, according to top managers of leading technology companies, will become the central element of quantum and optical computing platforms of the future. However, resonators are extremely sensitive to temperature fluctuations and technological deviations in production, which limited their mass use.
The development team solved this problem by creating an integrated active stabilization system: built-in photodiodes and heating elements operating under the control of built-in logic ensure constant synchronization with the laser source and automatically adjust the resonance parameters when the temperature changes or in an unstable external environment. This made it possible to achieve predictable and stable behavior of the chip-a critical condition for practical use.
The creation of the first electron-photon chip based on the serial 45-nm architecture opens the way for a wider implementation of quantum technologies in such areas as secure communications, next-generation sensor systems and, in the future, full-fledged quantum computing networks. The project became an example of how the competent integration of classical electronics and quantum optics can overcome technological limitations and bring the commercialization of one of the most promising areas of modern science closer.
