Seminar: Graduate Seminar
CMOS – Silicon Photomultipliers for Discrete Variable Quantum Key Distribution in Intra-Data Center Applications
Date:
November,17,2025
Start Time:
14:30 - 15:30
Location:
1061, Meyer Building
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Lecturer:
Tal Gofman
Research Areas:
| The emergence of quantum computing poses a significant threat to classical cryptographic protocols, necessitating the development of quantum-safe communication systems. Discrete Variable Quantum Key Distribution (DV-QKD) offers a secure alternative by leveraging quantum mechanical principles to ensure information security. This research investigates the implementation of CMOS-based Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) as cost-effective, scalable single-photon detectors for DV-QKD in intra-data center environments. The operational principles, quenching mechanisms, and performance metrics of CMOS-single photon avalanche detectors (SPADs) are analysed, including photon detection efficiency, noise sources, dead time, and timing resolution. Limitations such as dead time and intrinsic noise are shown to constrain the secure key rate (SKR) in short-reach, high-traffic links. To address these challenges, the use of SiPMs – SPAD arrays that enhance detection rate and scalability is proposed. Both analog and digital SiPM architectures are modelled, incorporating correlated noise phenomena such as afterpulsing and optical crosstalk as well as uncorrelated noise sources such as trap-assisted noise. Simulation results demonstrate that SiPMs can achieve above gigabit-per-second detection rates while maintaining low quantum bit error rates (QBER), even under elevated temperatures typical of data center environments. The findings support the feasibility of integrating CMOS-SiPM technologies into zero-trust quantum encryption infrastructures, paving the way for practical, high-throughput quantum-safe communication in the post-quantum era. M.Sc student Under the supervision of Prof. Emeritus Yael Nemirovsky.
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