Félix BussièresID Quantique SAGAP Quantum technologies - U. of Geneva

SUPERCONDUCTING NANOWIRESINGLE-PHOTON DETECTORS FOR QUANTUM SECURE SATELLITE OPTICAL COMMUNICATION

ScyLight Workshop, ESTEC8 February 2017

IDQ proprietary

ID QUANTIQUE SA

The company

• Swiss SME based in Geneva

• Founded in 2001 from UNIGE team

• Focuses on the opportunities of quantum physics & photonics

Random Number Generation

Quantum-Safe Crypto

Technology development & Professional services

Photon Counting

Space is new ground for quantum technologies (QuSAT project presented by Bruno Huttner)

IDQ proprietary

SECURE OPTICAL COMM WITH SINGLE PHOTONS

Single-photon communication

• Complicates interception in free-space channels

• Ultimate limit to “eye-safe” communication

Quantum cryptography

• Security principe based on quantum physics

Need the best-suited single-photondetection technology

Highest sensitivity

Avoid large telescopes

IDQ proprietary

SUPERCONDUCTING NANOWIRESINGLE-PHOTON DETECTOR (SNSPD)

Temperature below Tc

IDQ is developing SNSPDs that are well suited for this

IDQ proprietary

SUPERCONDUCTING NANOWIRESINGLE-PHOTON DETECTOR (SNSPD)

Single-pixel SNSPD made from amorphous MoSi

16x16 𝜇mmeander

9 𝜇m fibre core

In collaboration with

IDQ proprietary

SUPERCONDUCTING NANOWIRESINGLE-PHOTON DETECTOR (SNSPD)

In collaboration with

• Closed-cycle cryocooler(no liquid He)

• Cryogenic electronics• High fabrication

yield

• High detection efficiency at1550 nm (>80%)

• ~50 to 80 ps jitter• 15 MHz counting rate• Dark counts as low as few Hz• Operation up to 3 K• Broadband response

(UV to 5 𝜇m)

50 cm

Challenges for quantum secure optical comm: • Larger collection

area (>100 𝜇m)• High-speed (GHz)• Low-noise

Single-pixel SNSPD made from amorphous MoSi

IDQ proprietary

MULTI-PIXEL SNSPD ARRAYS FOR DEEP-SPACE OPTICAL COMM

JPL and NIST’s WSi arrays

• 256 pixel TRL 6 planned for 2017

• 96% pixel yield • 320 𝜇m area • Target is GHz with

Mars

Amorphous SNSPDs arrays are a core

technology that can contribute to EU’s

industrial leadership in quantum-secure satellite optical communication

Requirements for quantum-securesatellite optical

comm are close tothe ones of deep-

space comm

IDQ proprietary

DETECTOR TECHNOLOGY WORK PLAN

Integrated readout

electronics

Core detector technology

Integration into optical receiver

Integration in quantum-secure satellite optical communication

• Large area (>100 𝜇m) : innovative multi-pixel arrays• High-speed detection (~GHz) : innovative multi-pixel arrays• High efficiency (>90%/pixel) : MoSi SNSPDs• High yield : MoSi SNSPDs• Integrated readout : innovative dedicated cryogenic electronics

ScyLight

Synergies with

• IDQ’s QuSAT and QuCHAP

• EU’s QT flagshipprogram

• National QT andspace programmes

• Deep-space comm• …