CIELO is a collaborative project involving 7 partners, including renowned universities, research institutions, and industry leaders. Together we aim to break barriers in quantum technologies by developing electro-optic interconnects for coherent quantum information transfer. By integrating photonics, advanced materials, and superconducting qubits, CIELO seeks to enable scalable, modular quantum processors, addressing the challenges posed by current microwave-based systems.
CIELO is coordinated jointly by the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) under the guidance of Prof. Johannes Fink and the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). The team further includes Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Technische Universiteit Delft (TUD), SilOriX GmbH (SIL), IBM Research GmbH (IBM) and Luxtelligence S.A. (LXT). The initiative is funded by the European Innovation Council (EIC) through the HORIZON-EIC Grants (Project DOI: 10.3030/101187231) under the Pathfinder program, supporting deep tech projects with high scientific ambition, technological risk, and potential.
Team CIELO
Key players
Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
ISTA is a dynamic international institute based in Klosterneuburg, near Vienna, dedicated to fostering an innovative international and interdisciplinary environment. CIELO is coordinated by ISTA, led by Prof. Johannes Fink.
Prof. Johannes Fink is an expert in integrated electro-optomechanical devices, a pioneer in circuit QED and nanophotonics, and operates at the intersection of quantum optics and mesoscopic condensed matter physics. He primarily contributes to CIELO by developing novel approaches for qubit readout and control using optical photons, building on concepts from low-temperature microwave cooling.
Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT)
KIT is a leading technical university and national research center, renowned for its unique research infrastructures. Located in the heart of Karlsruhe, KIT is recognized as Germany’s most research-intensive university in engineering and natural sciences.
Prof. Christian Koos is a professor at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics (IPQ) at KIT and is a pioneer in the area of nanophotonic silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) devices. He is an expert for Nanotools and Nanometrology and Metrology, and mainly contributes to CIELO by developing materials and process technologies for cryogenic electro-optic devices.
Delft University of Technology (TUD)
TUD established in 1842, is the oldest technical university in the Netherlands and one of the top-ranked technical universities in Europe. It is renowned for its extensive research output, with approximately 320 PhD theses and 6,000 publications annually.
Prof. Gary Steele is a leading expert in quantum (nano)mechanics and quantum circuits, renowned for his pioneering work in optomechanics and circuit QED experiments. In his group, he explores the behavior of massive, macroscopic quantum superpositions by combining the tools of the superconducting qubit community with mechanical resonators. In CIELO, he contributes by advancing optical microwave sensing techniques at the standard quantum limit and beyond.
SilOriX (SIL)
SilOriX is a high-tech start-up dedicated to scaling up and commercializing efficient solutions for high-speed data transmission, with over a decade of pioneering research in silicon-organic hybrid electro-optic interconnects.
CEO and Co-Founder of SilOriX, Dr. Adrian Mertens, leads the development of processes related to organic components. He studied physics and earned a PhD in engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), where his research focused on organic electro-optic devices. In CIELO, SilOriX plays a crucial role in expanding access to cryogenic silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) technology and advancing materials and processes for cryogenic electro-optic devices.
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
EPFL is one of the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology, recognized as one of Europe’s most innovative and productive scientific institutions, with over 350 laboratories and research groups on campus.
Prof. Tobias Kippenberg leads the Laboratory of Photonics and Quantum Measurements (LPQM) at EPFL, which focuses on extending quantum control to micro- and nano-mechanical oscillators for manipulation and measurement in the quantum regime, along with quantum-enhanced applications. EPFL plays a joint role in handling the coordination responsibilities and primarily contributes to CIELO through optical synthesis and laser-based control of microwave photons.
IBM Research Zurich GmbH (IBM)
IBM Research – Zurich is the European arm of IBM’s Research Division, renowned for its Nobel Prize-winning achievements in the invention of the scanning tunneling microscope and the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity.
Dr. Paul Seidler is a Research Staff Member in the Quantum Technology group at IBM Research – Zurich. His research focuses on optical cavities with high quality factor-to-mode volume ratios to exploit nonlinear optical and optomechanical effects. In CIELO, IBM is developing electro-optic interfaces and readout systems for superconducting circuits.
Luxtelligence (LXT)
Founded in 2022 in Lausanne, Switzerland, Luxtelligence brings together researchers and engineers who have developed TFLN/TFLT integrated photonics at EPFL since 2017. Specializing in thin-film lithium niobate and lithium tantalate, their innovative manufacturing method exceeds the performance of current silicon photonics.
CEO & Co-Founder of Luxtelligence, Dr. Mohammad Bereyhi, holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). In CIELO, Luxtelligence is responsible for leading the design and fabrication of electro-optic transducers and modulators on the etched LNOI platform for superconducting circuits.
