The quantum age begins in Slovakia

In January 2023, the European project Slovak Quantum Communication Infrastructure (skQCI) started, where Institute of Electrical Engineering SAS participates. Project’s main goal is to build a quantum communication infrastructure between cities Bratislava and Košice, connecting 12 Slovak academic institutions.

The goal is to improve information and communication security at the level of state institutions, security forces and critical infrastructure necessary for the smooth running of the state. Using the quantum communication layer, unbreakable security of data transfer and communication is achieved. Building such a network will also create prerequisites for connection with neighbouring countries or for quantum transmission of encryption keys using satellites. The main project coordinator is the Institute of Physics SAS, which plans to use commercial equipment to build the southern and northern branches of the quantum communication layer within the first part of the project. An essential device of the entire quantum infrastructure is a component called a single-photon superconducting detector. The project also includes developing and fabricating such a quantum detector, in which the Electrotechnical Institute SAV plays an important role.
This challenging task involves several state-of-the-art technologies including deposition of ultra-thin superconducting layer, patterning of this layer into nanowires of meander shape using electron-beam lithography, and finally, electrical bonding and connecting to the optical fibre.
The complexity of the whole process is well documented by the fact that there are currently only a few laboratories worldwide capable to fabricate such a high-quality quantum detector. Our detectors will be first tested in the laboratory, while only the best of them will be then tested in real operation.

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