Bidirectional interconversion of microwave and light with thin-film lithium niobate

Yuntao Xu; Ayed Al Sayem; Linran Fan; Chang Ling Zou; Sihao Wang; Risheng Cheng; Wei Fu; Likai Yang; Mingrui Xu; Hong X. Tang

doi:10.1038/s41467-021-24809-y

Bidirectional interconversion of microwave and light with thin-film lithium niobate

Yuntao Xu, Ayed Al Sayem, Linran Fan, Chang Ling Zou, Sihao Wang, Risheng Cheng, Wei Fu, Likai Yang, Mingrui Xu, Hong X. Tang

Optical Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

40 Scopus citations

Abstract

Superconducting cavity electro-optics presents a promising route to coherently convert microwave and optical photons and distribute quantum entanglement between superconducting circuits over long-distance. Strong Pockels nonlinearity and high-performance optical cavity are the prerequisites for high conversion efficiency. Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) offers these desired characteristics. Despite significant recent progresses, only unidirectional conversion with efficiencies on the order of 10⁻⁵ has been realized. In this article, we demonstrate the bidirectional electro-optic conversion in TFLN-superconductor hybrid system, with conversion efficiency improved by more than three orders of magnitude. Our air-clad device architecture boosts the sustainable intracavity pump power at cryogenic temperatures by suppressing the prominent photorefractive effect that limits cryogenic performance of TFLN, and reaches an efficiency of 1.02% (internal efficiency of 15.2%). This work firmly establishes the TFLN-superconductor hybrid EO system as a highly competitive transduction platform for future quantum network applications.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	4453
Journal	Nature communications
Volume	12
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24809-y
State	Published - Dec 1 2021

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Chemistry(all)
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
Physics and Astronomy(all)

Access to Document

10.1038/s41467-021-24809-y

Cite this

@article{9ffcf7419834482195c14a37a9bf41c8,

title = "Bidirectional interconversion of microwave and light with thin-film lithium niobate",

abstract = "Superconducting cavity electro-optics presents a promising route to coherently convert microwave and optical photons and distribute quantum entanglement between superconducting circuits over long-distance. Strong Pockels nonlinearity and high-performance optical cavity are the prerequisites for high conversion efficiency. Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) offers these desired characteristics. Despite significant recent progresses, only unidirectional conversion with efficiencies on the order of 10−5 has been realized. In this article, we demonstrate the bidirectional electro-optic conversion in TFLN-superconductor hybrid system, with conversion efficiency improved by more than three orders of magnitude. Our air-clad device architecture boosts the sustainable intracavity pump power at cryogenic temperatures by suppressing the prominent photorefractive effect that limits cryogenic performance of TFLN, and reaches an efficiency of 1.02% (internal efficiency of 15.2%). This work firmly establishes the TFLN-superconductor hybrid EO system as a highly competitive transduction platform for future quantum network applications.",

author = "Yuntao Xu and Sayem, {Ayed Al} and Linran Fan and Zou, {Chang Ling} and Sihao Wang and Risheng Cheng and Wei Fu and Likai Yang and Mingrui Xu and Tang, {Hong X.}",

note = "Funding Information: This work is funded by ARO under grant number W911NF-18-1-0020. H. X. T acknowledges partial supports from NSF (EFMA-1640959), ARO (W911NF-19-2-0115), and the Packard Foundation. Funding for substrate materials used in this research was provided by DOE/BES grant under award number DE-SC0019406. The authors thank Michael Rooks, Yong Sun, Sean Rinehart, and Kelly Woods for support in the cleanroom and assistance in device fabrication. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021, The Author(s).",

year = "2021",

month = dec,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1038/s41467-021-24809-y",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "12",

journal = "Nature communications",

issn = "2041-1723",

publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Bidirectional interconversion of microwave and light with thin-film lithium niobate

AU - Xu, Yuntao

AU - Sayem, Ayed Al

AU - Fan, Linran

AU - Zou, Chang Ling

AU - Wang, Sihao

AU - Cheng, Risheng

AU - Fu, Wei

AU - Yang, Likai

AU - Xu, Mingrui

AU - Tang, Hong X.

N1 - Funding Information: This work is funded by ARO under grant number W911NF-18-1-0020. H. X. T acknowledges partial supports from NSF (EFMA-1640959), ARO (W911NF-19-2-0115), and the Packard Foundation. Funding for substrate materials used in this research was provided by DOE/BES grant under award number DE-SC0019406. The authors thank Michael Rooks, Yong Sun, Sean Rinehart, and Kelly Woods for support in the cleanroom and assistance in device fabrication. Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).

PY - 2021/12/1

Y1 - 2021/12/1

N2 - Superconducting cavity electro-optics presents a promising route to coherently convert microwave and optical photons and distribute quantum entanglement between superconducting circuits over long-distance. Strong Pockels nonlinearity and high-performance optical cavity are the prerequisites for high conversion efficiency. Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) offers these desired characteristics. Despite significant recent progresses, only unidirectional conversion with efficiencies on the order of 10−5 has been realized. In this article, we demonstrate the bidirectional electro-optic conversion in TFLN-superconductor hybrid system, with conversion efficiency improved by more than three orders of magnitude. Our air-clad device architecture boosts the sustainable intracavity pump power at cryogenic temperatures by suppressing the prominent photorefractive effect that limits cryogenic performance of TFLN, and reaches an efficiency of 1.02% (internal efficiency of 15.2%). This work firmly establishes the TFLN-superconductor hybrid EO system as a highly competitive transduction platform for future quantum network applications.

AB - Superconducting cavity electro-optics presents a promising route to coherently convert microwave and optical photons and distribute quantum entanglement between superconducting circuits over long-distance. Strong Pockels nonlinearity and high-performance optical cavity are the prerequisites for high conversion efficiency. Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) offers these desired characteristics. Despite significant recent progresses, only unidirectional conversion with efficiencies on the order of 10−5 has been realized. In this article, we demonstrate the bidirectional electro-optic conversion in TFLN-superconductor hybrid system, with conversion efficiency improved by more than three orders of magnitude. Our air-clad device architecture boosts the sustainable intracavity pump power at cryogenic temperatures by suppressing the prominent photorefractive effect that limits cryogenic performance of TFLN, and reaches an efficiency of 1.02% (internal efficiency of 15.2%). This work firmly establishes the TFLN-superconductor hybrid EO system as a highly competitive transduction platform for future quantum network applications.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85111141821&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85111141821&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s41467-021-24809-y

DO - 10.1038/s41467-021-24809-y

M3 - Article

C2 - 34294711

AN - SCOPUS:85111141821

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 12

JO - Nature communications

JF - Nature communications

IS - 1

M1 - 4453

ER -

Bidirectional interconversion of microwave and light with thin-film lithium niobate

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this