Open Access
30 October 2021 Heterogeneously integrated, superconducting silicon-photonic platform for measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution
Xiaodong Zheng, Peiyu Zhang, Renyou Ge, Liangliang Lu, Guanglong He, Qi Chen, Fangchao Qu, LaBao Zhang, Xinlun Cai, Yanqing Lu, Shining N. Zhu, Peiheng Wu, Xiaosong Ma
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Integrated photonics provides a route to both miniaturization of quantum key distribution (QKD) devices and enhancing their performance. A key element for achieving discrete-variable QKD is a single-photon detector. It is highly desirable to integrate detectors onto a photonic chip to enable the realization of practical and scalable quantum networks. We realize a heterogeneously integrated, superconducting silicon-photonic chip. Harnessing the unique high-speed feature of our optical waveguide-integrated superconducting detector, we perform the first optimal Bell-state measurement (BSM) of time-bin encoded qubits generated from two independent lasers. The optimal BSM enables an increased key rate of measurement-device-independent QKD (MDI-QKD), which is immune to all attacks against the detection system and hence provides the basis for a QKD network with untrusted relays. Together with the time-multiplexed technique, we have enhanced the sifted key rate by almost one order of magnitude. With a 125-MHz clock rate, we obtain a secure key rate of 6.166 kbps over 24.0 dB loss, which is comparable to the state-of-the-art MDI-QKD experimental results with a GHz clock rate. Combined with integrated QKD transmitters, a scalable, chip-based, and cost-effective QKD network should become realizable in the near future.

CC BY: © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.
Xiaodong Zheng, Peiyu Zhang, Renyou Ge, Liangliang Lu, Guanglong He, Qi Chen, Fangchao Qu, LaBao Zhang, Xinlun Cai, Yanqing Lu, Shining N. Zhu, Peiheng Wu, and Xiaosong Ma "Heterogeneously integrated, superconducting silicon-photonic platform for measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution," Advanced Photonics 3(5), 055002 (30 October 2021). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.AP.3.5.055002
Received: 17 June 2021; Accepted: 29 September 2021; Published: 30 October 2021
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CITATIONS
Cited by 30 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Quantum key distribution

Silicon

Superconductors

Quantum communications

Sensors

Photons

Relays

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