EnLIGHT Photonics

Powerful quantum computers may one day be able to break many of today’s data encryption methods. Sensitive data is already being stored today so that it can be decrypted at a later date.

Pioneer Fellow Giovanni Finco is developing photonic chips designed to transmit data securely even in the quantum era. The chips use light, optical fibres and entangled quantum states to generate highly secure keys for data transmission. They are based on thin-film lithium niobate, a material already used in high-speed telecommunications and also well suited to quantum information technology.

During his Pioneer Fellowship, Giovanni Finco will further develop the chip technology and test it in real-world telecommunications links. In doing so, he will help lay the foundations for secure quantum communication, the quantum internet and quantum computing.