Researchers from Monash University have developed a breakthrough chip-based photonic system that can generate, route, and detect light-based information within a single integrated device, paving the way for faster and more energy-efficient computing technologies.
The technology, developed by scientists from the university’s School of Physics and Astronomy, addresses a longstanding challenge in the field of valleytronics, which uses quantum properties of materials to encode and process information in new ways.
Published in Nature Photonics, the research demonstrates what the team says is the first fully integrated valleytronic system capable of generating specialised light signals, directing them with precision, and converting them back into electrical signals on a compact chip.
The system uses a quantum property known as the “valley degree of freedom”, which allows information to be encoded using electron energy states inside advanced materials.
Chi Li, lead author of the study, said the development overcomes a major technical barrier that has limited the field for years.
“Until now, we could generate or detect these signals, but not do everything in one integrated device,” 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 combines ultra-thin two-dimensional materials, only a few atoms thick, with engineered nanostructures known as metasurfaces that manipulate light at extremely small scales.
Kaijian Xing, co-first author and research fellow at Monash University, said the team developed a new stacking technique that overcame previous manufacturing limitations.
“We employ a straightforward stacking approach to integrate ultra-thin materials with metasurfaces, overcoming the technical challenges of direct material growth on photonic structures, and enabling further advances in valleytronics,” Xing said.
Unlike many experimental quantum technologies that require extreme cooling, the Monash system operates at room temperature, significantly improving its commercial and practical potential.
Haoran Ren, ARC Future Fellow and leader of the Monash NanoMeta Group, said the research could enable a new generation of programmable photonic devices for computing, communications, and advanced sensing.
“This is a significant step toward scalable, chip-based technologies that use light instead of electricity to process information,” Ren said.
“Photonic devices use light to achieve massive bandwidths, ultra-fast data transmission speeds, and lower energy consumption, so what we have achieved has strong potential for applications in quantum computing, advanced imaging, and next-generation optical communication systems.”
As part of the demonstration, researchers successfully encoded and processed two separate images simultaneously using the device, highlighting its ability to manage multiple information streams at once.
Stefan A. Maier said the breakthrough represented an important step towards commercially viable valleytronic systems.
“By combining light and quantum materials on a chip, we can access new ways of encoding and processing information,” Maier said.
The project involved collaboration between researchers in Australia, China, Singapore, Germany, and Japan, including contributions from the Singapore University of Technology and Design, LMU Munich, and the University of Technology Sydney.
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David Hollingworth
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.