Quantum-enabled microwave-to-optical transduction via silicon nanomechanics
Nature Nanotechnology (2025)
Scientists describe a new quantum transducer that’s easier to manufacture than previous technologies and can be integrated into future quantum networks.
The study presents a new microwave-to-optical transducer, a device that converts microwave signals (used in superconducting quantum computers) into optical signals (used in fiber-optic communication). Such a device is crucial for connecting distant quantum computers into a network.
Most existing transducers rely on materials called piezoelectric materials, which introduce challenges in fabrication and performance.
The Caltech team built a different kind of transducer using pure crystalline silicon, removing the need for piezoelectric materials. Silicon’s low energy loss helps the device operate with extremely low noise.
The team’s device achieved continuous microwave-to-optical conversion with a rate 100 times faster than previous technologies with similar noise performance. The design is scalable, meaning it can be fabricated in large quantities and integrated into quantum networks.
This breakthrough brings us closer to building quantum networks, where superconducting quantum computers in different locations can communicate over fiber-optic links.
The paper’s authors are Han Zhao, William Chen, Abhishek Kejriwal and Mohammad Mirhosseini, conducting research at Caltech.