The idea behind quantum computing has been around for almost half a century, but getting to a point where quantum effects can be created experimentally has taken a long time.

Now that materials physics and photonics have caught up, the race is on to devise and construct a quantum device that can out-compute today’s solid-state silicon supercomputers.

And Swinburne is leading the way with the use of photons.

Professor David Moss, Director of Swinburne’s Centre for Micro-Photonics, has been using light for more than a decade to develop better devices for data communications and processing, and his research has now taken him to the leading edge of quantum technology.

In collaboration with colleagues from around the world, David and his Swinburne team have demonstrated a computer chip that overcomes two of the most challenging obstacles to commercial realisation of quantum technology—generating a continuous high-volume supply of quantum particles, and producing the device using conventional mass-fabrication techniques.

“Our device represents an unprecedented leap in the quality, sophistication and sheer number of quantum entangled photon pairs that can be generated on an integrated chip, and we did it using a chip that is compatible with conventional integrated circuit fabrication methods,” David says.

“Realising quantum functions on photonic integrated chips or circuits will be critical to moving quantum technologies out of the laboratory and into the real world.”

Banner image credit: Eamon Gallagher