基于硅光子学的高度集成量子密钥分发发射机
Highly integrated quantum key distribution transmitter enabled by silicon photonics
AI总结：
研究旨在解决QKD系统体积和成本问题，通过基于硅光子编码芯片构建紧凑平台，实现高度集成独立QKD发射机，其体积小，与传统接收器配对在51.3公里光纤上密钥率达219.1 kbps，推动QKD发射机向紧凑板级平台转变。
AI中文摘要：
量子密钥分发（QKD）提供了独立于计算假设的信息理论安全性，但当前系统的体积和成本阻碍了大规模部署。尽管集成光子技术已实现高度集成的QKD芯片，但实际的QKD发射机仍主要作为机架安装系统实现。本文展示了一种高度集成的独立QKD发射机，它在围绕硅光子编码芯片构建的紧凑平台内集成了实际QKD操作所需的所有基本功能。该发射机仅占167×56×21立方毫米（约0.2立方分米），与半高半宽的PCIe卡尺寸相当，体积比传统1U机架安装系统小30多倍。与传统离散组件接收器配对，它在51.3公里的标准单模光纤上实现了219.1 kbps的安全密钥率，性能与传统离散组件实现相当。这项工作弥合了光子芯片集成与可部署QKD硬件之间的差距，标志着QKD发射机从传统机架安装设备向紧凑板级平台过渡的重要一步。
英文摘要：
Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides information-theoretic security independent of computational assumptions, yet the bulk and cost of current systems hinder large-scale deployment. Although integrated photonic technologies have enabled highly integrated QKD chips, practical QKD transmitters are still predominantly implemented as rack-mounted systems. Here, we demonstrate a highly integrated standalone QKD transmitter that integrates all essential functionalities required for practical QKD operation within a compact platform built around a silicon photonic encoding chip. The transmitter occupies only $167 \times 56 \times 21~\mathrm{mm}^3$ ($\sim 0.2~\mathrm{dm}^3$), comparable in size to a half-height, half-width PCIe card and more than 30 times smaller in volume than a conventional 1U rack-mounted system. Paired with a conventional discrete-component receiver, it achieves a secure key rate of 219.1 kbps over 51.3 km of standard single-mode fiber, with performance comparable to that of conventional discrete-component implementations. This work bridges the gap between photonic chip integration and deployable QKD hardware, marking an important step toward transitioning QKD transmitters from conventional rack-mounted equipment to compact board-level platforms.
