High-speed programmable photonic circuits in a cryogenically compatible, visible-NIR 200 mm CMOS architecture

TL;DR

This paper presents a high-speed, cryogenically compatible programmable photonic circuit platform using CMOS-compatible materials, enabling fast phase modulation for quantum and classical photonic applications.

Contribution

It introduces a large-scale PMMI platform with AlN piezo-optomechanical actuators integrated with SiN waveguides, achieving high-speed modulation and cryogenic operation.

Findings

Phase modulation >100 MHz in visible-NIR range

Low power consumption of piezo-actuators

Cryogenic operation enabled

Abstract

Recent advances in photonic integrated circuits (PICs) have enabled a new generation of "programmable many-mode interferometers" (PMMIs) realized by cascaded Mach Zehnder Interferometers (MZIs) capable of universal linear-optical transformations on N input-output optical modes. PMMIs serve critical functions in photonic quantum information processing, quantum-enhanced sensor networks, machine learning and other applications. However, PMMI implementations reported to date rely on thermo-optic phase shifters, which limit applications due to slow response times and high power consumption. Here, we introduce a large-scale PMMI platform, based on a 200 mm CMOS process, that uses aluminum nitride (AlN) piezo-optomechanical actuators coupled to silicon nitride (SiN) waveguides, enabling low-loss propagation with phase modulation at greater than 100 MHz in the visible to near-infrared wavelengths. Moreover, the vanishingly low holding-power consumption of the piezo-actuators enables these PICs to operate at cryogenic temperatures, paving the way for a fully integrated device architecture for a range of quantum applications.