UNIQORN aims to shrink the large scale laboratory setups into small & robust systems for quantum technology apps, achieving cost (-90%) & space (70x) savings.

The second Quantum Revolution will only happen when it follows a success story such as microelectronics. UNIQORN’s mission is therefore to provide the enabling photonic technology to accommodate quantum communications, by shoehorning complex systems, which are presently found on metre-size breadboards, into millimetre-size chips. These systems will not only reduce size and cost but will also bring improvements in terms of robustness and reproducibility.

Starting with advanced components optimised for quantum applications UNIQORN will shoehorn entire quantum-optic systems into system-on-chip (SoC) realizations, leading to highly miniaturized solutions for further system- and network-level integration. Selected quantum applications beyond simple quantum key distribution will build on UNIQORN’s highly integrated and yet cost-effective technology and will be evaluated in lab and field.