Researchers Demonstrate Stable Microwave-Optical Transduction Using Thin-Film Lithium Tantalate
Scientists have built the first integrated electro-optic transducers using thin-film lithium tantalate (TFLT), achieving stable, bidirectional conversion between microwave and optical photons. The devices were fabricated using wafer-scale deep ultraviolet lithography, enabling high-throughput production and continuous multi-day operation with minimal feedback. This advance addresses key limitations of existing lithium niobate-based transducers and could accelerate the development of distributed superconducting quantum computers and quantum networks.
A research team has demonstrated the first integrated microwave-to-optical electro-optic transducers built on thin-film lithium tantalate (TFLT), a material platform that offers Pockels nonlinearity comparable to the widely studied thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) while providing improved bias stability and higher optical power handling. Across six fabricated devices, the researchers observed coherent bidirectional conversion between C-band optical photons and microwave photons in the 4.9–5.5 GHz range, with on-chip efficiencies and single-photon coupling rates consistent with theoretical predictions. The devices were produced using wafer-scale deep ultraviolet lithography, yielding hundreds of devices per wafer and demonstrating a scalable manufacturing path. Critically, continuous operation over multiple days was achieved using a static bias field with minimal active feedback, addressing the low-frequency bias drift that has hampered prior TFLN demonstrations. Noise characterization under pulsed pumping showed fewer than one added photon for 100-microsecond pulses at the highest measured efficiencies, an important threshold for quantum information applications. The authors argue that TFLT represents a robust and scalable platform for future quantum interconnects linking superconducting processors across modular architectures.
What's missing
The study does not compare device performance directly against state-of-the-art TFLN transducers under identical conditions, nor does it address long-term material reliability beyond multi-day operation. As a preprint, these results have not yet undergone formal peer review.
What different sources said
- arXiv physicsCenter
Stable, bidirectional electro-optic transduction in thin film lithium tantalate
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