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Chip-scale electrically driven superconducting coherent photon sources for quantum information processing

Nature Photonics volume 19, pages 1163–1177 (2025)Cite this article

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Abstract

Lasers and superconductors both rely on macroscopic quantum coherence. In lasers, coherence arises through stimulated emission, whereas in superconductors, it results from spontaneous symmetry breaking of the quantum ground state. This coherence underpins superconducting devices such as Josephson junctions, which generate electromagnetic radiation under an applied voltage. The emission frequency is governed by the superconducting energy gap, allowing operation across the microwave to terahertz regimes. High-temperature superconductors extend this range up to 15 THz. Furthermore, hybrid superconductor–semiconductor platforms, such as superconducting light-emitting diodes, open pathways to optical photon generation, including single- and entangled- photon emission. Here, I highlight how superconducting materials and Josephson junction-based hybrid devices enable compact, chip-scale, electrically driven, electrically tunable, power-efficient coherent light sources that span the microwave, millimetre-wave, terahertz and optical regimes and explore their potential for emerging quantum technologies and scalable quantum information processing.

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Fig. 1: Superconductor microwave photon sources.
Fig. 2: Superconductor coherent millimetre-wave and THz photon sources.
Fig. 3: Superconducting light-emitting diodes.
Fig. 4: Superconducting light-emitting diodes.
Fig. 5: Superconducting platforms for future quantum networks.

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Acknowledgements

Kaveh Delfanazari acknowledges research funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship (LTRF2223-19-138), the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the Royal Society Research Grant (RGS/R2/222168).

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    Kaveh Delfanazari

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Delfanazari, K. Chip-scale electrically driven superconducting coherent photon sources for quantum information processing. Nat. Photon. 19, 1163–1177 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-025-01735-9

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