Silicon Photonics for Quantum Fibre Networks – SQUARE

In the last twenty years, the internet has achieved tremendous success connecting the world, and secure communication has become of utmost importance. Driven by the increasing need of securing sensitive communications, the global market for quantum cryptography is predicted to be as high as $898.3 million by 2020 by the Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Due to the actual limits of Quantum Communications (high losses, low key rate, short distance links, big and expensive systems) the market is not completely defined and ready for the quantum revolution.
The objective of the project is to develop key silicon photonic devices for future quantum communication on fibre networks, paving the way for intercity connections over the world.
Using the power of silicon based devices combined together with quantum physics we can establish a secure network between very far cities and different countries breaking the actual limit of Quantum Communications.
Moreover, exploring new degrees of freedom like high-dimensional QKD protocols, entanglement based communications and very compact and efficient single photon detectors at room temperature, we can reach high key rate systems in a long link scenario necessary for a complete deployment of the quantum network.
By integrating laser sources, modulators, attenuators, filters and switches, the silicon photonic devices will be powerful, trustable, compact, efficient and with low power consumption. In this perspective the outputs of this project will represent the main ingredients of the future metropolitan quantum networks.