Monash University Advances Photonic Chip for Quantum Technologies

Researchers from Australia’s Monash University have developed a nanoscale on-chip circuit that can generate, direct, and read light-based information within a single integrated device, advancing work in valleytronics, integrated photonics, and future quantum technologies. The technology, developed by scientists in Monash University’s School of Physics and Astronomy, combines ultrathin materials with nanotechnology to address a long-standing integration challenge in valleytronics. The emerging field uses the “valley degree of freedom,” a quantum characteristic of certain materials, to encode and process information in ways that could support faster and more energy-efficient computing architectures.

For the first time, the Monash team has demonstrated a fully integrated chip-based system that can create specialized light signals, guide them in precise directions, and convert them into electrical signals on the same compact device. This integration is significant because earlier valleytronic work had shown individual functions, but not the full generation, routing, and readout process within one on-chip platform. Lead author Dr Chi Li said the research solves a key bottleneck that has limited the field.

“Until now, we could generate or detect these signals, but not do everything in one integrated device,” Dr Li said. “What we’ve built is a complete on-chip system that can create, route and read this information with very high precision.”

The device works by combining materials only a few atoms thick with engineered nanostructures that control light at extremely small scales. This approach allows the chip to manipulate light-based information while retaining a compact format suitable for future integrated photonic devices.

Dr Xing, co-first author and Research Fellow at Monash University, said the team’s material integration approach helped overcome challenges associated with building valleytronic systems on photonic structures, noting,  “We employ a straightforward stacking approach to integrate ultrathin materials with metasurfaces, overcoming the technical challenges of direct material growth on photonic structures and enabling further advances in valleytronics.”

A key practical feature of the system is that it operates at room temperature. That is important because many quantum-related technologies require extreme cooling, which can limit near-term deployment. Room-temperature operation could make the platform more relevant for future applications in quantum computing, advanced imaging, optical communications, secure communications, and energy-efficient data processing.

Senior author Dr Haoran Ren, ARC Future Fellow and leader of Monash NanoMeta Group, said the work supports development of a new class of compact, programmable photonic devices. “This is a significant step toward scalable, chip-based technologies that use light instead of electricity to process information,” Dr Ren said. “It has strong potential for applications in quantum computing, advanced imaging, and next-generation optical communication systems.”

In a demonstration of the device’s information-processing potential, the researchers encoded and processed two different images simultaneously. The result showed that the system can handle multiple streams of information at once, an important capability for future photonic and quantum-material-based computing platforms.

The research also reflects broader interest in computing architectures that use light rather than conventional electronic signaling. As AI, data center, and advanced computing workloads continue to grow, photonic and quantum-material systems are being explored as possible pathways toward faster, more compact, and more energy-efficient information processing.

Professor Stefan A. Maier, Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy and Nanophotonics Laboratory at Monash, said the study represents an important step toward fully integrated valleytronic systems, further noting, “This is an important step toward fully integrated valleytronic systems. By combining light and quantum materials on a chip, we can access new ways of encoding and processing information.”

The study brought together collaborators from Australia, China, Singapore, Germany, and Japan, combining expertise in nanophotonics, two-dimensional materials, and optoelectronics. The Monash University team included Dr Chi Li, Dr Kaijian Xing, Professor Michael S. Fuhrer, Professor Stefan A. Maier, and Dr Haoran Ren. Key contributions also came from the Singapore University of Technology and Design, LMU Munich, and the University of Technology Sydney.

About Monash University

Monash University is a major Australian research university with teaching and research activities across science, engineering, medicine, technology, business, law, and related disciplines. Its School of Physics and Astronomy conducts research in areas including nanophotonics, quantum materials, optoelectronics, and advanced device technologies. The university supports research collaborations across Australia and internationally, including work focused on emerging technologies with potential applications in computing, communications, materials science, and advanced manufacturing. For more information, please click here. 

Source/Photo Credit: Chi Li / Monash University

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