Cryogenic microwave-to-optical conversion using a triply-resonant lithium niobate on sapphire transducer

  1. Timothy P. McKenna,
  2. Jeremy D. Witmer,
  3. Rishi N. Patel,
  4. Wentao Jiang,
  5. Raphaël Van Laer,
  6. Patricio Arrangoiz-Arriola,
  7. E. Alex Wollack,
  8. Jason F. Herrmann,
  9. and Amir H. Safavi-Naeini
Quantum networks are likely to have a profound impact on the way we compute and communicate in the future. In order to wire together superconducting quantum processors over kilometer-scale
distances, we need transducers that can generate entanglement between the microwave and optical domains with high fidelity. We present an integrated electro-optic transducer that combines low-loss lithium niobate photonics with superconducting microwave resonators on a sapphire substrate. Our triply-resonant device operates in a dilution refrigerator and converts microwave photons to optical photons with an on-chip efficiency of 6.6×10−6 and a conversion bandwidth of 20 MHz. We discuss design trade-offs in this device, including strategies to manage acoustic loss, and outline ways to increase the conversion efficiency in the future.