ECE PhD Dissertation Defense: Imbert Wang

Title: Electronic-Photonic Quantum Systems-On-Chip and a Sub-Wavelength All-Evanescent Cavity

Presenter: Imbert Wang

Advisor: Professor Miloš Popović

Chair: TBA

Committee: Professor Miloš Popović, ECE; Professor Roberto Paiella, ECE; Professor Alexander Sergienko, ECE; Professor Abdoulaye Ndao, ECE; Professor Prem Kumar, Northwestern University;

Abstract: Quantum technologies are transitioning from the laboratories of academia to industry and the commercial sector. Scaling the utilization of such systems will require optical quantum networks capable of interconnecting quantum nodes, as well as transmitting and receiving quantum states without loss of entanglement. In order to enable such quantum networks and pave the way for a quantum internet,“quantum state transceivers” (QSTs) must be developed. QSTs will be systems with mixed classical and quantum capabilities, and are ideally implemented a squantum-capable “systems-on-chip” (QSoCs) to allow for cost and complexity scaling. In this work, we leverage electronic-photonic monolithic integration in silicon CMOS technology to develop a new class of electronic-photonic systems-on-chip with quantum photonic functions -- electronic-photonic quantum systems-on-chip (epQSoCs). As a first demonstrator of such a"quantum" electronics-photonics platform, we implement a single-chip“wall-plug”, high efficiency photon pair source. We demonstrate a first example system-on-chip, as well as a basic building block component that can be utilized in future, more complex electronic-photonic QSoCs, by analogy to the hierarchical design of classical electronics chips, comprising of smaller component building blocks (so called IP blocks). Additionally, we investigate a novel radiation-free dielectric nanocavity with all-evanescent confinement based on perfect mode-matching and minimal use of negative permittivity, with potential for applications in future generations of photonic circuits.