In the rapidly evolving landscape of quantum technology, speed is not just an advantage: it’s a bottleneck. The ERC Proof of Concept project DETEQ targets one of the main limitations in modern quantum photonic systems: the speed of single-photon detection. By rethinking detector materials and architecture from the ground up, the project aims to unlock a new performance regime for quantum hardware.
Breaking the speed barrier in quantum photonics
At the heart of many quantum systems lies the ability to detect individual particles of light one at a time. These detections underpin everything from secure communication to emerging quantum processors. However, existing detectors struggle to keep up with the pace required by next-generation systems.
DETEQ directly addresses this limitation by developing ultrafast single-photon detectors capable of operating at gigahertz rates, far beyond the constraints of current technologies.
This work builds on prior ERC-funded discoveries and introduces atomically thin superconducting materials as the active detection platform. These materials offer exceptional electrical and quantum properties at the nanoscale, opening a new design space for detector performance.
Why this matters for society
Quantum technologies are widely expected to reshape critical sectors:
- Quantum computing could solve problems that are currently intractable for classical computers
- Quantum-secure communication promises fundamentally secure data exchange
- Quantum sensing could dramatically improve precision in medicine, navigation, and environmental monitoring
But all of these depend on a shared bottleneck: detecting photons quickly and reliably. If detectors lag behind, even the most advanced quantum system ends up waiting for its own eyes to blink.
DETEQ’s goal is to remove that delay. By enabling detection at gigahertz speeds, it could significantly accelerate how fast quantum systems operate overall, turning experimental setups into practical, real-world technologies.
A shift in quantum hardware design
Within quantum photonics, single-photon detectors are among the most critical components. They are also among the hardest to improve, because performance is tightly linked to material physics.
DETEQ introduces a new direction by using atomically thin superconductors. Instead of incrementally optimizing existing designs, the project rethinks the detector layer itself, potentially bypassing long-standing engineering limits.
The ambition is not only better performance, but also system integration: detector chips embedded into compact, cryogenics-cooled prototypes with integrated readout electronics. In other words, moving from delicate lab components to something that can plausibly live inside future quantum machines.
From lab breakthrough to usable technology
Beyond fundamental research, DETEQ is designed with translation in mind. The project plans to:
- Develop a prototype detector system
- Integrate cryogenic packaging and readout electronics
- Protect intellectual property arising from the new detector architecture
- Evaluate commercialization pathways for future industrial use
This is a crucial step in a field where promising physics often stops short of engineering reality. The aim is to bridge that gap before the technology gets stuck in it.
A strategic step for Europe’s quantum future
Quantum photonics is one of the most competitive and fast-moving areas of modern science, with significant global investment. Advancing detector technology is therefore not just a technical achievement but also a strategic one.
By pioneering atomically thin superconducting detectors, DETEQ strengthens Europe’s position in the global quantum hardware ecosystem and supports the emergence of new spin-out opportunities. In practical terms, it helps ensure that the next generation of quantum technologies is not only discovered, but built, scaled, and deployed.
If successful, DETEQ could help define what “fast enough” means for quantum systems. And in a field where every nanosecond matters, that could be the difference between experimental promise and technological reality.
