Public Funding for Covesion Limited

Encryption is crucial in modern life for securing information and ensuring safe communication across digital platforms. Quantum encryption offers unprecedented security by leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics to create unbreakable encryption keys, making it essential for future-proofing data protection. However, the realisation of mature quantum encryption systems requires scaling up of photonic platforms. Several thin-film fabrication methods such as lithography, and etching, have been used to fabricate nanophotonic devices. Nonetheless, these techniques are often complex, time-consuming, and expensive. They require extensive prototyping and suffer from a lack of reproducibility, which can hinder large-scale production and practical implementation. Additionally, these traditional methods offer limited flexibility in correcting manufacturing defects, further complicating the production process. In contrast, the two-photon polymerisation (2PP) technique offers a rapid, efficient, and highly reproducible alternative for fabricating photonic devices. The 2PP technique utilizes a focused laser beam to induce polymerization at the focal point, enabling precise 3D structuring at the nanoscale. This method allows for in-plane and out-of-plane printing, providing versatile substrate options and the ability to easily erase and reprint structures if necessary. The rapid prototyping capability of 2PP significantly reduces production time and costs, making it an ideal choice for developing integrated photonic devices. In this project, we are planning to use the 2PP technique to print a polymer strip on top of a thin film of lithium niobate. The polymer strip will confine light within the lithium niobate. Within this structure, pump laser light will be converted into photon pairs through spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) process. SPDC is a nonlinear optical process where a photon from the pump laser is converted into two lower-energy entangled photons. These entangled photon pairs are essential for QKD, as they enable the creation of secure encryption keys based on the principles of quantum mechanics. The successful development of this integrated quantum light source will represent a significant advancement in the field of quantum communication. By providing a compact, efficient, and readily deployable source of entangled photons, this project paves the way for the realization of robust and secure QKD networks. These networks leverage the fundamental properties of quantum mechanics to ensure the absolute security of transmitted information, making them immune to eavesdropping and other cyber threats. Moreover, the implementation of 2PP in fabricating the quantum light source addresses the limitations of conventional fabrication methods, offering a scalable and cost-effective solution for mass production.

Our project, Nonlinear Upconversion Technique for Monitoring Environmental Gases (NUTMEG), will develop, construct and test a portable greenhouse-gas sensor for environmental monitoring applications. We will demonstrate a platform approach targeting CO2, Methane, NOx and Ammonia monitoring. Our innovative approach uses laser upconversion in nonlinear (PPLN) waveguides to access lines of increased absorption in the mid-infrared. This allows us to make use of single-photon detectors based on silicon technology for increased sensitivity. We will build on QLM's mature gas-sensing products to provide enhanced sensitivity. We aim for the demonstrator system to be briefcase-sized and operate at eye-safe power levels, comparing favourably with current truck-mounted alternatives. The system will be field tested with engaged end users. To enable this, Covesion will develop new optically packaged PPLN waveguides that push the boundaries of waveguide operation at mid-infrared wavelengths. Fraunhofer will provide testing and prototyping capabilities for enabling the improvement of the waveguide fabrication at novel wavelengths and performing sensitivity measurements.

Quantum technologies are a vital component of the industrial strategy in the UK and Canada, with the potential to revolutionize the digital world, expand the capabilities of current imaging devices, and facilitate the development of new drugs using quantum computing to solve complex calculations. Collaborations between UK and Canadian high-tech industries, universities, and research centres are ongoing to translate these scientific concepts into accessible technologies. To achieve this goal, funding of over £1 billion has been pledged by governments and industries. Photonics is among the sectors spearheading the advancement and application of quantum technologies. Light is an ideal carrier of quantum states, essential for quantum communication, and it is also a powerful measuring tool, allowing us to observe the structure and the evolution of matter in processes underpinning the most advanced technologies and life itself. In the realm of photonics-based quantum technologies, there are two fundamental approaches: either radiation with a limited number of photons is prepared and then measured with the aid of single-photon detectors, extracting the non-classical properties by analyzing the correlations between measured events, or macroscopic quantum states called squeezed light are generated, carrying entanglement among many (billions and more) photons at one time. This latter approach takes the name of continuous-variable quantum optics, it empowers the most advanced metrological endeavours of our time, such as advanced LIGO for the detection of gravitational waves and requires high sensitivity measurements and low losses to retain the quantum properties entailing an enhancement over the classical light. Pulsed squeezed light, with picosecond or shorted duration, is now being applied to enhance sensing of biologically relevant effects, for instance, in microscopes. However, the current technology has limits in how short squeezed light pulses can be effectively generated. With this feasibility study, we aim to develop a tool for the generation and manipulation of ultrashort squeezed light pulses with durations below 100fs (potentially sub 40fs) and \>3dB squeezing, overcoming the current state-of-the-art and empowering future research in crucial fields such as bio-photonics.

Reducing human contributions to global warming and the journey to net-zero is a major problem for society to tackle. Technology developments will be a large part of the process to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The simplest way to reduce is emissions is to reduce gas leaks, requiring very sensitive leak detection equipment. Natural gas (largely consisting of methane) is becoming the dominant fossil fuel due to the reduced carbon dioxide emissions. However, industrial leaks are a major source of Greenhouse gases (GHGs). After COP26, industry and legislation attention is shifting towards reducing methane emissions. Traditional sensitive equipment can be bulky and labour intensive to operate. There is a need for wide-spread continuous monitoring equipment for detection of methane and other GHGs. QLM has pioneered deployment of quantum technology, in the form of an infrared LiDAR camera to image, locate and quantify GHGs. However, this is just the first step along the way and improvements in sensitivity of detection can be used to extend the range of operation, or speed of detection. This project collaboration between QLM, Fraunhofer, Covesion and the University of Bristol provides an innovative approach to solve this problem, by generating scattering at longer wavelengths, then using quantum up-conversion of photons to shorter wavelength for detection on low-noise, efficient visible wavelength detectors with single-photon sensitivity. This requires development of upconversion technology by Covesion, to work at longer wavelengths than currently demonstrated, but that are theoretically viable. Initial work will prove the concept at wavelengths that are known to be feasible and will offer increased detection efficiency. This technology will open up the possibility of detecting more varied gas species with high sensitivity in a wavelength region where there are limited solutions.

Highly accurate atomic clocks have a broad and expanding range of vital applications and are used in many aspects of our daily lives. One well-known example is the GPS navigation system which depends on sub-microsecond accurate timing to provide both position and timing information. This information is used in communications systems, telecoms, finance and infrastructure applications, as well as a host of other less obvious places. However, satellite-based systems are vulnerable to external influence and attack. Consequently, many of these dependencies are now exposed, and action is required to make systems that depend on satellite-derived timing information more independent and robust. Timing systems based on trapped ions can deliver significantly improved accuracy over currently available commercial systems. Clocks based on trapped ions will enable both backup and stand-alone systems to be built. Currently, these systems, which give accuracies of 10^-18, similar to an error of one second in the age of the universe, have only been demonstrated in research labs. Furthermore, due to their complexity, power consumption and environmental requirements, these systems are far from portable as well as being too expensive for widespread deployment. The University of Sussex has developed a portable optical atomic reference based on trapped calcium ions probed by a "clock" laser pre-stabilised to a compact optical cavity and, in conjunction with an optical micro-comb, can turn the output of the system into a useable signal. Together these systems function as an atomic clock with the accuracy required to support future communications and infrastructure systems. This project aims to improve and industrialise the current calcium ion clock design, reducing the size and weight of the system and ruggedise it by increasing subsystem integration. This will make it a much more useable product for many systems and should open up a new market for advanced timing devices with a wide range of applications. A portable optical atomic clock system will be developed, and its integration in various applications explored with the combined efforts of the consortium, which comprises of: * TMD Technologies, a leading company in quantum technology development, vacuum electronics and ruggedised electronics for defence applications; * Covesion, experts in nonlinear optics and optical system development; * Chronos Technology, a leader in timing and synchronisation equipment; and the University of Sussex, * Leonardo, a leading system integrator; * BT, a communications services provider focusing on high-speed optical networking technology; * QinetiQ, a science and engineering company operating in the defence sector.

One of the largest outstanding challenges faced by photonic quantum computing is how to scale these systems based on existing single photon sources. Single photons are natural carriers of quantum information. They are robust to thermal noise, can be used at room-temperature and sent over optical fibre networks. This makes them particularly suitable for generation, manipulation, and long-range transport of entanglement. However, existing sources of single photons are probabilistic; they do not generate a steady stream of high-quality, predictable photons on demand. This forces developers to build photonic quantum computers with large amounts of redundancy, repeating many copies of the underlying components over and over in the hope that at least some portion of the operation is successful. This approach is not efficient or readily scalable. ORCA Computing have developed a new approach to quantum computing based on a proprietary photonic quantum memory; a means of storing and retrieving successful quantum states on demand. This approach reduces the cost, footprint, and energy use of quantum operations and is designed to be scalable using mature telecoms components; but it still requires a compatible source of single photons that are tailored to interact with the memory. Covesion are a world leading manufacturer of nonlinear optical crystals, a photonics technology used to convert standard telecoms lasers to single photons for use with quantum systems. Using cutting-edge fabrication techniques recently developed at the University of Southampton, this project will develop a new class of spectrally-tailored nonlinear crystals designed to operate, integrate, and commercially scale with ORCA's innovative quantum memory platform.

The HiREP project aims to develop a high-rate polarisation-entangled photon-pair source based on a new nonlinear optical crystal platform recently developed by Covesion Ltd.

QT Assemble brings together a consortium of UK companies to develop highly-innovative assembly and integration processes for new markets in quantum technologies. Waveguide writing, nanoscale alignment and monolithic integration will be used to deliver new levels of performance in robust and reliable platforms. High-performance components and systems will be demonstrated including highly-integrated lases, photon sources, photon detectors and ultra-cold matter systems. New commercial opportunities have been identified that require reliable and robust operation in quantum sensing and quantum information processing markets.

The Mid-IR Upconversion Single-photon detection (MIRUS) project will develop a mid-infrared single-photon detection system using a novel upconversion scheme. This single-photon detector will make use of Covesion's PPLN waveguide technology and will offer the ability to detect single photons in the 3-5um spectral region.

Quantum technology systems are currently held back by the lack of qualified, commercial off the shelf sub-systems and components to translate new ideas and system designs (for gravitometers, optical clocks etc) quickly into reality. In most cases the underlying enabling technology needs to be developed which adds risk to these projects.In this project the consortium partners have identified a need by industry and large research organisations for a key enabling component for Rubidium based quantum technology systems (Traps/Clocks etc). We will develop a novel high power, high efficiency frequency doubler unit for converting 1560nm to 780nm for use with Rubidium Atom Traps. High power (\>1W) systems are not commercially available, nor academically available with high efficiencies. However these components are required for enabling novel quantum sensors. The consortium will focus on developing a novel high efficiency nonlinear crystal capable of converting 1560nm to 780nm in a commercially viable package for integration by end-users in Space and Ground based quantum technologies. This will enable the exploitation of innovative, but commercially viable, quantum technologies to benefit wider society.

To develop new photonics products for changing the colour of lasers (wavelength conversion). These new products will enable new business and research opportunities in Innovate UK's identified strategic emerging market of Quantum Technology.

A primary goal of the UK National Quantum Technology Programme is to target key milestones on the journey to practical, universal quantum computing. The partners are working together to develop commercial supply chains for key components, subsystems and devices for emergent quantum computing and networking platforms. The proposed project complements the work programme for the national hub in Networked Quantum Information Technologies (NQIT), led by the University of Oxford but encompassing all the partners as either participants or contributors, by developing the industrial role in the efforts of the national programme. The planned developments will help the industrial partners establish a native supply chain for critical components in the roadmap for the Q20:20 engine and beyond. The envisaged impact of fault tolerant quantum computing will have global significance and strengthening the UK's industrial participation in this area at this stage will ensure that researchers benefit from hardware capable of accelerating their own work. This value proposition will enable the companies to benefit immediately.

"The UK government has invested nearly £300M in the last three years to stimulate the translation of quantum mechanics, one of the most successful scientific theories of all times, to new quantum technologies for the benefit of its citizens. Quantum-enhanced optics also enables new levels of sensitivity in the measurement of minute changes in the structure of the space, such as those induced by gravitational waves. At the core of all these optically-enabled quantum-based technologies are entangled photons: particles of light sharing a unique state even when spatially separated, which does not have a counterpart in the classical world. Here we propose to develop a source of entangled photons using fibre laser based technology. Fibre-based lasers are now the reference tools for low-noise ultrashort pulse metrology and are rapidly becoming the workhorse of companies and research centres working with ultrashort laser pulses."

New developments in quantum technology have resulted in the ability to cool atoms close to absolute zero using lasers. At these temperatures, laboratory experiments have shown that these “cold atoms” can be used as ultra-sensitive sensors for measuring gravity. CASPA will translate leading UK science into commercial products for space and other markets. It will take the technology out of the laboratory and build it into a small satellite payload that is capable of producing “cold atoms” in space. Demonstrating this new technology in space is a vital first step towards realising real instruments that are capable of mapping tiny changes in the strength of gravity across the surface of the earth. The extreme sensitivity brought by “cold atom” sensors will provide the ability to finely monitor the movement of mass within Earth systems. This has multiple applications including more accurate monitoring of changes in polar ice mass, ocean currents and sea level. Higher resolution data will lead to the ability to monitor smaller water sources and discover new underground natural resources which are currently not detectable. Similar technology will also be used for deep space navigation and for providing higher precision timing sources in space.

Covesion Ltd and The University of Southampton plan to extend our collaborative feasibility study investigating the use of periodically-poled lithium niobate crystals in single-photon sources for applications exploiting quantum entanglement. Laser pulses contain different numbers of photons and in our crystals these photons can be split into pairs; the laws of physics state that if one of these photons is created then the other must also exist. Based on this premise, detecting one paired photon signals the presence of the other, providing a predictable source of single photons that can be used for computation. In this project, we seek to reduce the manufacturing tolerances required to generate similar photons from different sources and our objective is to prove our new approach across multiple devices. This is an important step in enabling scalable quantum applications where many predictable photons with the same attributes are needed in parallel, such as quantum computing.

Covesion Ltd and The University of Southampton plan a collaborative feasibility study to investigate the use of periodically-poled lithium niobate crystals in single-photon sources for applications exploiting quantum entanglement. Laser pulses contain different numbers of photons and in our crystals these photons can be split into pairs; the laws of physics state that if one of these photons is created then the other must also exist. Based on this premise, detecting one paired photon signals the presence of the other, providing a predictable source of single photons that can be used for computation. In this project, we seek to reduce the manufacturing tolerances required to generate similar photons from different sources and our objective is to prove our new approach across multiple devices. This is an important step in enabling scalable quantum applications where many predictable photons with the same attributes are needed in parallel, such as quantum computing.

To transfer, develop and embed a new capability to manufacture laser crystals for use in optical communications systems and quantum cryptography.

To develop a high-volume manufacturing process for laser crystals for use in laser TV and cinema projector systems.

Awaiting Public Summary

Awaiting Public Summary

The multi-billion dollar global market for high brightness light sources for the lighting and display sectors is presently dominated by inherently inefficient and short-lived ultra high pressure bulbs. This project seeks to develop a radically different light source based upon novel ways of frequency-doubling infra-red lasers to generate more than 3W of visible light, and to test the source in a representative demonstrator projection system. The envisaged light source will provide exceptional brightness, reliability and lifetime, and an order of magnitude improvement in energy efficiency. In the initial target market area of high performance light projection equipment the technology developed would be additionally commercially disruptive by virtue of its far superior colour rendering capabilities. A range of large and rapidly-growing related markets would be accessible to the new light source, offering excellent potential returns.