- A small optical chip directs millions of laser points from a microscopic cantilever array
- MITER-Led Research Shows New Path to Expand Laser Control of Quantum Computing
- Microscopic beam steering technology could reduce complexity in large optical systems
Quantum computing designs built around laser-controlled qubits run into problems as systems grow. Many approaches rely on separate lasers to control individual qubits, which becomes difficult once systems grow to the millions often cited as necessary for practical use.
Scientists working on the MITER Quantum Moonshot project have created a microscopic optical chip capable of directing tens of millions of beams of light per second, meeting that challenge.
Instead of relying on one laser per task, the approach allows a smaller number of beams to be quickly redirected across many targets.
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MITER Quantum Moonshot
The MITER Quantum Moonshot project brings together researchers from MITER, MIT, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Sandia National Laboratories. Their shared goal is to build scalable quantum systems that combine light-based control with solid-state materials to manage large quantities of quantum bits.
According IEEE SpectrumThe microscopic optical chip can project 68.6 million scannable light points every second. This is more than 50 times larger than previous micromirror-based beam scanners, helping to address one of the biggest practical barriers to scaling quantum hardware.
The device measures about 1 square millimeter, about the size of a grain of salt, and contains a series of microscopic cantilevers that act as small ramps for light. The electrical voltage moves each cantilever slightly, guiding the beams across a two-dimensional surface with precise control.
Light travels through narrow paths called waveguides and exits the tip of each cantilever. A thin layer of aluminum nitride inside the structure expands or contracts under voltage, allowing small mechanical parts to move and scan beams across the target area.
“We’ve created a scannable pixel that is at the absolute limit of what diffraction allows,” says Henry Wen, a visiting researcher at MIT and a photonics engineer at QuEra Computing.
IEEE Spectrum reports that the team demonstrated the chip’s capabilities by projecting detailed images on a microscopic scale. One demonstration reproduced the Mona Lisa (see below) within an area smaller than two human eggs.
Synchronizing movement across thousands of tiny structures proved to be more difficult than building the hardware itself.
The researchers had to carefully align the timing of the mechanical movement and light output so that the colors and patterns appeared in the correct sequence.
Beyond quantum computing, the same scanning approach could speed up laser-based manufacturing processes such as 3D printing. The technology could also extend to imaging and high-performance computing.
“I think you can now take a process that would have taken hours and maybe reduce it to minutes,” Wen says.
Researchers are also exploring new cantilevered shapes that curve in spirals rather than simple arcs. These variations could support lab-on-a-chip systems used in biology, where scanning light through cells helps trigger or measure chemical responses.
The same underlying ability to direct many beams from a single compact device is what makes the technology relevant beyond laboratory environments.
Although the technology remains experimental, its ability to direct large numbers of beams from a tiny surface points to potential cost savings in large computing systems.
Systems that currently require a large number of lasers and supporting hardware could be simplified, reducing equipment, power demand and long-term operating costs.
If future computing systems rely more on optical technologies, reducing the number of light sources needed could reduce infrastructure costs.
At the scale of modern data centers, even modest reductions in hardware and energy use could translate into very large financial savings.
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