CompaQt

Project description

The project CompaQt will pursue experimental research to significantly reduce cost and size of future Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) devices to enable the deployment of QKD-secured access networks and to scale backbone networks beyond what is currently planned in Austria and Europe. While current commercially available products are standalone rack mounted devices with a price tag of at least EUR 100k for a QKD link, CompaQt will research, investigate, and advance the required technologies for reducing the form factor of a QKD module to the size of a PCIe card or a C-form pluggable (CFP), while preparing the grounds for a significant reduction of costs below EUR 20k per link. The security of the QKD implementation on the component level will be ensured by maximum compliance with European QKD standards, and by contributing project results to the development of new standards in European standards developing organisations.
The focus of the research will be on the integration of the optical components of the QKD system and the read-out electronics. Today, bulky optics and electronics are the main drivers of cost and size of a QKD system. The CompaQt consortium therefore will design, build, characterise, and integrate in a compact QKD lab system the following Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) and integrated electronics (ASIC).