Quantum photonics at telecom wavelengths based on lithium niobate waveguides

Abstract

Integrated optical components on lithium niobate play a major role in\nstandard high-speed communication systems. Over the last two decades, after the\nbirth and positioning of quantum information science, lithium niobate waveguide\narchitectures have emerged as one of the key platforms for enabling photonics\nquantum technologies. Due to mature technological processes for waveguide\nstructure integration, as well as inherent and efficient properties for\nnonlinear optical effects, lithium niobate devices are nowadays at the heart of\nmany photon-pair or triplet sources, single-photon detectors, coherent\nwavelength-conversion interfaces, and quantum memories. Consequently, they find\napplications in advanced and complex quantum communication systems, where\ncompactness, stability, efficiency, and interconnectability with other\nguided-wave technologies are required. In this review paper, we first introduce\nthe material aspects of lithium niobate, and subsequently discuss all of the\nabove mentioned quantum components, ranging from standard photon-pair sources\nto more complex and advanced circuits.\n