Caltech Brings Fiber Performance to Silicon Chips

• Record-low visible-light loss achieved through fiber-like photonic chip design on silicon substrates[1] • Spinor-based CRIT framework enables dynamic control over light propagation with unprecedented spectral feature control (linewidth, asymmetry, lattice dispersion)[2] • Dual-channel gauge fields provide tunable slow-light bands supporting critical photonic functionalities[2] • Compact integration: 0.25 mm² footprint at telecom wavelengths enables dense on-chip optical signal processing[2] • Silicon photonics leverages standard semiconductor manufacturing, reducing production barriers compared to alternative quantum approaches[3] • Addresses fundamental challenge: photons do not naturally interact, making deterministic two-qubit gates difficult to implement[3]

Caltech's breakthrough accelerates silicon photonics adoption by bridging the performance gap between on-chip optical systems and traditional fiber optics. This enables mass production of quantum computers and optical interconnects through existing CMOS manufacturing infrastructure, potentially transforming data center architecture and quantum computing accessibility. The programmable nature of these photonic circuits supports reconfigurable applications across quantum computing, sensing, and communications. With the silicon photonics market valued at $1 billion annually and growing, this technology positions silicon-based solutions as a viable alternative to competing quantum approaches, particularly for applications requiring room-temperature operation and scalability.