Imagine a world where quantum computing becomes as commonplace as smartphones. Sounds like science fiction, right? But here's where it gets groundbreaking: researchers at imec, in collaboration with KU Leuven and Ghent University, have just shattered performance records by super-cooling a humble crystal, strontium titanate (SrTiO3), to unlock its hidden potential. This isn’t just a lab experiment—it’s a leap toward making quantum technology faster, smaller, and more efficient.
Published on November 3, 2025, in Science (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adx3741), this breakthrough addresses a critical challenge in quantum computing: controlling light at temperatures near absolute zero. At these extremes, even the most advanced materials struggle to perform, yet efficient light control is essential for encoding, routing, and converting information in quantum systems. While electro-optic networks thrive at room temperature in data and telecom, their quantum counterparts demand ultra-low temperatures—a hurdle this research elegantly clears.
Led by Christian Haffner, alongside PhD students Anja Ulrich, Kamal Brahim, and Andries Boelen, the team achieved a staggering Pockels coefficient of nearly 350 pm/V at 4 Kelvin. And this is the part most people miss: the Pockels coefficient measures how a material’s light-bending properties respond to an electric field. Higher values mean more efficient light modulation per volt—a game-changer for quantum devices. Remarkably, while most materials weaken at ultra-low temperatures, this engineered SrTiO3 thin film thrives, enabling faster and more compact electro-optic components.
What’s equally impressive? The team minimized optical losses, ensuring fewer photons are wasted. This combination of high performance and low loss is a quantum engineer’s dream, paving the way for smaller, more efficient devices. As Haffner explains, “By transforming a quantum paraelectric into a cryogenic ferroelectric thin film, we’ve unlocked a powerful Pockels effect where none was expected. It’s a testament to how atomic-scale materials engineering can drive device-level innovation.”
But here’s the controversial part: while this discovery accelerates quantum interconnects, modulators, and transducers, it also raises questions. Can this material scale for mass production? Will it truly bridge superconducting processors and optical networks as promised? These are debates worth having.
Adding to the excitement, a companion study led by Stanford—with imec’s contributions—reveals that strontium titanate’s response to electric fields at 4 to 5 Kelvin can be finely tuned for strength and adjustability. Together, these studies showcase how SrTiO3 can be pushed to its limits and integrated into low-loss, wafer-scale thin films for photonic chips. This dual achievement highlights imec’s commitment to bold, long-term research, combining protected time, advanced fabrication, and cross-disciplinary collaboration to turn scientific insights into technological platforms.
“This project required meticulous control over film growth, expert wafer bonding, and high-precision cryogenic testing—a true team effort,” shared first authors Ulrich, Brahim, and Boelen. “We’re thrilled that our discovery could inspire new quantum photonic devices.”
So, what do you think? Is this the breakthrough quantum computing needs, or are there still too many hurdles ahead? Let’s discuss in the comments—your perspective could spark the next big idea!
