- Tiny optical chip controls millions of laser points from microscopic cantilever array
- MITRE-led research shows new path to scaling quantum computing laser control
- Microscopic beam steering technology can reduce the complexity of large optical systems
Quantum computer designs built around laser-guided qubits run into problems as the systems grow larger. Many approaches rely on separate lasers to control individual qubits, which becomes difficult once systems scale to the millions often cited as needed for practical use.
Scientists working on the MITER Quantum Moonshot project have created a microscopic optical chip capable of directing tens of millions of light beams every second and tackling that challenge.
Instead of relying on one laser per task, the approach makes it possible to redirect a small number of beams quickly over many targets.
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MITER Quantum Moonshot
The MITER Quantum Moonshot project brings together researchers from MITER, MIT, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Sandia National Laboratories. Their shared goal is to build scalable quantum systems that combine light-based control with solid-state materials to handle large numbers of quantum bits.
According to IEEE spectrumthe microscopic optical chip can project 68.6 million scannable points of light every second. It is more than 50 times larger than previous micromirror-based beam scanners, helping to address one of the biggest practical barriers to scaling quantum hardware.
The device measures about 1 square millimeter, about the size of a grain of salt, and contains a series of microscopic protrusions that act as tiny ramps for light. Electrical voltage moves each cantilever slightly, directing beams across a two-dimensional surface with precise control.
Light travels through narrow pathways called waveguides and exits at the tip of each cantilever. A thin layer of aluminum nitride inside the structure expands or contracts under stress, allowing the tiny mechanical parts to move and scan beams across the target area.
“We have now made a scannable pixel that is at the absolute limit of what diffraction allows,” says Henry Wen, visiting researcher at MIT and photonics engineer at QuEra Computing.
IEEE spectrum reports that the team demonstrated the chip’s capabilities by projecting detailed images at a microscopic scale. One demonstration reproduced the Mona Lisa (see below) inside an area smaller than two human egg cells.
Synchronizing movement across thousands of tiny structures proved more difficult than building the hardware itself.
Scientists had to carefully adjust the timing of mechanical movement and light output so that colors and patterns appeared in the right order.
In addition to quantum computing, the same scanning approach can speed up laser-based manufacturing processes such as 3D printing. The technology can also be extended to image processing and high performance computers.
“I think now you can take a process that would have taken hours and maybe bring it down to minutes,” Wen says.
Researchers are also exploring new cantilever shapes that curl into spirals instead of simple arcs. These variations could support lab-on-a-chip systems used in biology, where scanning light across cells helps trigger or measure chemical reactions.
The same underlying ability to direct many beams from a single compact device is what makes the technology relevant beyond laboratory settings.
Although the technology remains experimental, its ability to direct a large number of beams from a small surface points to possible cost savings in large computing systems.
Systems that currently require a large number of lasers and supporting hardware can be simplified, reducing equipment, power requirements and long-term operating costs.
If future computing systems rely more heavily on optical technologies, reducing the number of light sources needed can lower infrastructure costs.
At the size of modern data centers, even modest reductions in hardware and energy consumption can result in very large financial savings.
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