Chip-Based Quantum Key Distribution Could Secure High-Speed Networks

A research team at the University of Bristol has demonstrated chip-based devices that contain all the optical components necessary for quantum key distribution (QKD). The team showed that secure quantum key exchange could be accomplished between two chip-based devices measuring just 6 × 2 mm over a fiber network with links up to 200 km. The researchers used mass-manufacturable, monolithically integrated transmitters to demonstrate their accessible, quantum-ready communication platform. The new QKD devices are based on the same semiconductor technology found in smartphones and computers. Instead of wires to guide electricity, they contain circuits that control the photonic signals necessary for QKD. Nanoscale components in the...