HenleyHall
Quantum Photonics Lab @ UCSB
Quantum Photonics Lab @ UCSB

The QPL develops nonlinear photonic, nanophotonic, and optoelectronic devices for quantum computing, communications, networking, and sensing. Our lab specializes in nanoscale device fabrication and testing, emerging quantum materials and systems, and the development of novel quantum optical measurement techniques. Currently of particular interest are nonlinear quantum photonics (III-V materials for entanglement, squeezing, and multi-photon qubits and qudits), quantum nanophotonic platforms based on III-V quantum dots and 2D materials, photonic integration of quantum emitters, and hybrid quantum systems (cavity optomechanics + quantum emitters + superconducting electronics). 

Entanglement and Squeezing

Quantum Photonic Integrated Circuits

The development of scalable optical technologies for quantum communications, computing, and precision measurements requires reducing existing table-top experiments to fully integrated chip-scale photonic circuits. We utilize several approaches, including AlGaAs, InGaP, silicon nitride, and their heterogeneous integration. Through wafer-scale fab in UCSB's cleanroom, we combine ultra-bright entangled-photon pair sources and squeezed light generators with ultra-low-loss photonic circuits, passive and active components, and superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors.
Surface Acoustic Wave Resonator with Quantum Emitters

Quantum Interconnects

An outstanding challenge in quantum information science and networking is the ability to interconnect multiple types of quantum systems, which is often challenging due to the large disparity in operating environments and qubit frequencies. Our research focuses on developing innovative electro-optic, opto-mechanical, and quantum optical frequency converters for applications in microwave-to-optical transduction and quantum networking.
Arrays of Quantum Light Sources

Integrated Quantum Emitters

Quantum information science (QIS) technologies for computing, communications, sensing, and metrology rely on the ability to generate and detect non-classical information using light and matter. Quantum photonics plays a central role in QIS because of the inherent scalability and low-loss, high-speed transmission of light. This project focuses on the development, metrology, and application of efficient, scalable, and turnkey sources of quantum light, such as single and entangled photons, squeezed states, and quantum frequency combs.

Resources & Facilities

The Quantum Photonics Laboratory is located in Henley Hall -- the home of the Institute of Energy Efficiency (IEE) and the QPL. Our lab is equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation and quantum photonic experiments and testbeds, with capabilities that include:

  • Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) Testing: We have several PIC testing stations with fiber input/output, DC and RF electrical probes, microscopes for positioning and stabilization, and a variety of tunable lasers and electronic control instrumentation.
  • Cryogenics: A 4K closed-cycle cryostat with XYZ nanopositioning, low-working distance optical access, and DC-to-microwave electronic probe capabilities. The QPL also operates a 10 mK dilution refrigerator system with a customized vibration-stabilized optical confocal microscope combined with microwave electronics in the Quantum Foundry Low-Temperature Optics Lab in CNSI.
  • Spectroscopy: The QPL houses a suite of quantum photonic device testing and benchmarking tools for characterizing nonlinear quantum photonic circuits, semiconductor nanophotonic structures, quantum emitters, and 2D materials. Additional capabilities include time-resolved micro-photoluminescence, resonance fluorescence with high-NA imaging, and rapid spatial scanning capabilities.
  • Quantum Optics: We utilize superconducting nanowire single-photon detector arrays and time-correlated single-photon counting modules for photon correlation measurements with ~10 picosecond resolution across 8 channels. Experiments include second-order auto-correlation spectroscopy, Hong Ou Mandel interferometry, Franson interferometry, and tomography.
  • Quantum Opto-Electronic Microscopy: We've developed a novel microwave-optical heterodyne spectroscopy probe for studying hybrid electro-opto-mechanical quantum systems at 10 mK.

​In addition to collaborating with several research groups and laboratories across campus, we also leverage the state-of-the-art facilities available at UCSB for material growth, device nanofabrication, and characterization, including the

​Materials Research Laboratory (MRL)
​UCSB Nanofabrication Facility (Nanotech)
California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI)

UCSB Nanofab