Southampton innovation underpins £10m drive to expand quantum technologies

Laser wavelength conversion technology pioneered at the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) is integral to a new £10 million collaboration creating new markets for the next industrial revolution in quantum systems.

QT Assemble is an Innovate UK collaborative R&D project that brings together 14 collaborators across the UK to increase the reliability and reduce the size, weight, power and cost of laser components and systems for use in quantum technologies.

The project will boost the UK's capabilities in the emerging market sector and enable easier adoption of quantum technologies in real-world applications.

ORC researchers Dr Corin Gawith and Dr James Gates, part of the Zepler Institute for Photonics and Nanoelectronics, will spearhead Southampton's contribution to the Innovate UK programme.

Pioneering advances in laser wavelength conversion at the ORC have been commercialised over the past decade through Periodically Poled Lithium Niobate (PPLN) crystal specialist Covesion Ltd, who will make a major contribution to the project.

Dr Corin Gawith, ORC Principal Research Fellow and Chief Technology Officer at Covesion, says: "Our PPLN wavelength conversion technology is an enabling element and integral to each of the QT Assemble technical work packages. We are also working on photonics components to enable the miniaturisation of the optical interfaces that operate at the heart of many quantum systems. This makes it our most comprehensive and ambitious quantum technology project to date."

Quantum technology is used currently in areas such as navigation and situational awareness (such as GPS), communications and computing.

By working together to produce miniature, integrated devices, QT Assemble aims to encourage more organisations and industries to adopt quantum technology, thus widening application, markets and commercial opportunities.

Covesion will use their expertise of PPLN technology to design and manufacture waveguides as standalone and integrated components.

Mike Day, CEO of Covesion, says: "We are very excited to working with such an experienced and forward-thinking consortium of companies on this Innovate UK project. The potential for quantum technologies is very real and new applications are well within our grasp.

"This project will highlight new commercial opportunities in quantum sensing and quantum information processing both for ourselves, our collaborating partners, and the industry as a whole. I am proud of the team, over the last few years they have truly defined Covesion as world leading experts in PPLN technology for the quantum sector."