Consortium Brings Quantum Hardware to the CMOS Wafer

Quantum Cryptography Consortium Brings Quantum Hardware to the CMOS Wafer

2026-06-02 From | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

The joint project PIC-PAM is developing a hybrid chip that combines polarization analysis, single-photon detectors and evaluation electronics. The aim is to industrialize quantum key distribution (QKD) for data centers.

Integrated optical circuit with fiber optic connections (top and bottom), developed at the Fraunhofer IOF in Jena.(Image: Fraunhofer IOF) — Integrated optical circuit with fiber optic connections (top and bottom), developed at the Fraunhofer IOF in Jena.
(Image: Fraunhofer IOF)

Quantum key distribution (QKD) is regarded as a physically secure answer to the threat posed by future quantum computers. However, previous systems are often bulky laboratory setups. A consortium of research and industry in Thuringia, including the companies X-FAB, Fraunhofer IOF and Quantum Optics Jena, is now working on the decisive miniaturization in the PIC-PAM project: the entire functionality is to be accommodated on a photonic integrated chip (PIC) just a few millimetres in size.

From Laboratory Setup to CMOS Wafer

Representatives of the project partners Quantum Optics Jena GmbH, AIM Micro Systems GmbH, X-FAB Global Services GmbH, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Institute for Applied Physics) and IMMS Institut für Mikroelektronik- und Mechatronik-Systeme gemeinnützige GmbH (IMMS GmbH) of the PIC-PAM project at the first working meeting in Erfurt.(Picture: IMMS) — Representatives of the project partners Quantum Optics Jena GmbH, AIM Micro Systems GmbH, X-FAB Global Services GmbH, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Institute for Applied Physics) and IMMS Institut für Mikroelektronik- und Mechatronik-Systeme gemeinnützige GmbH (IMMS GmbH) of the PIC-PAM project at the first working meeting in Erfurt.
(Picture: IMMS)

The core problem with existing QKD hardware is the large number of discrete opto-mechanical components. The PIC-PAM project pursues a monolithic approach based on silicon photonics. Optical functions (polarization analysis using beam splitters) and microelectronic components (evaluation ASICs) are more closely interlinked than ever before.

"We are adapting our CMOS processes so that photonic and electronic layers can be processed on a single wafer in the future," explains Dr. Gabriel Kittler, CEO of X-FAB Global Services. This enables cost-effective scaling of the technology for the mass market of information and communication technology (ICT).

Technical Details of the Integration

The new chip combines three critical subsystems:

Polarization analysis: Fraunhofer IOF implements silicon nitride-based (SiN) components that measure the quantum states of photons (polarization) in a very small space.
Detection: The IMMS integrates highly sensitive single photon avalanche photodiodes (SPADs) directly into the CMOS layer.
Time tagging: Newly developed time tagging electronics (TDC structures) ensure high-resolution time synchronization of the transmitter and receiver in order to minimize signal noise.

Plug-And-Play for IT Networks

To make the technology manageable for network administrators, the target format is a standard SFP module (small form-factor pluggable). AIM Micro Systems is responsible for the sophisticated packaging - the electrical and optical connection (fiber-to-chip coupling) in an industrial-grade housing.

"We are working towards a solution that can be integrated into existing switch structures like an ordinary transceiver module," says Dr. Andreas Fischer, Managing Director of AIM Micro Systems.

By drastically reducing size and costs, PIC-PAM is primarily aimed at securing fiber optic networks in data centers and campus networks. Quantum Optics Jena is developing the overall demonstrator for this, which validates the entanglement-based QKD under real conditions. (heh)

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