PARTNERS

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 ICFO, Barcelona

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The University of Manchester, UK

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 Univ. Cambridge, UK

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 CNIT, IT

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Single Quantum

ICFOManchesterCambridgeCNITSingle Quantum

ICFO is a research center located in a specially designed, 14.000 m2-building situated in the Mediterranean Technology Park in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. It currently hosts more than 300 researchers, including research group leaders, post-doctoral researchers, PhD students, research engineers, and staff, organized in 26 research groups working in 60 state-of-the-art research laboratories, equipped with the latest experimental facilities and supported by a range of cutting-edge facilities for nanofabrication, characterization, imaging and engineering. ICFOnians have been awarded 15 ICREA Professorships, 27 European Research Council grants and 7 Fundació Cellex Barcelona Nest Fellowships, and the institute consistently appears in top worldwide positions in international rankings measuring research excellence. On the industrial side, ICFO participates actively in the European Technological Platform Photonics21 and is also very proactive in fostering entrepreneurial activities and spin-off creation. The center participates in incubator activities and seeks to attract venture capital investment. ICFO hosts an active Corporate Liaison Program that aims at creating collaborations and links between industry and ICFO researchers. To date, ICFO has helped create 9 start-up companies.

Researchers

Dmitri K. Efetov is a professor and group leader at ICFO, whose research program concentrates on the development of novel composite materials known as “van der Waals (vdW) hetero-structures”, which consist of graphene and other 2D materials. His group aims to use the enhanced quantum effects in these materials to enable applications for quantum technologies and provide new types of quantum systems with which to encode, sense and control quantum information. Prior to joining ICFO in 2017, he had worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, USA) in the Research Laboratory for Electronics (RLE). During this time he initiated a collaboration with BBN Raytheon Technologies to work out a single photon detector device which is based on graphene’s unique hot electron properties, which allowed to extend single photon detection to THz and even GHz frequencies. Dmitri received a Diploma (M.Sc.) in Physics from ETH Zurich (Switzerland) in 2007. He then earned a M.A., M. Ph. and a Ph.D. in Physics from Columbia University (USA) in 2014, working under the supervision of one of the pioneers of graphene Prof. Philip Kim. Dmitri received the Charles H. Towns Award for his outstanding research achievements during his PhD.

Frank Koppens obtained his PhD in experimental physics at Delft University, at the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, The Netherlands. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University, since August 2010, Koppens is a group leader at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO). The quantum nano-optoelectronics group of Prof. Koppens focuses on both science and technology of novel two-dimensional materials and quantum materials. Koppens has received the ERC starting grant, the ERC consolidator grant, three ERC proof-of-concept grants, the Christiaan Hugyensprijs 2012, the national award for research in Spain, and the IUPAP young scientist prize in optics. Prof. Koppens is leader of the optoelectronics workpackage of the graphene flagship (1B€ project for 10 years), as well as a member of the executive board. In total, Koppens has published more than 70 refereed papers (H-index 40), with more than 35 in Science and Nature family journals. Total citations >13.000.

Antoine Reserbat-Plantey is a senior research fellow at ICFO. He obtained his PhD at Grenoble-Alpes University in 2012. He is an expert in low dimensional materials and quantum photonics and is involved in various other EU research programs (NANOQTECH, ORQUID). He works in the group led by Prof. Frank Koppens.

Carlotta Ciancico is PhD student at ICFO. She works on interfacing ultra-narrow linewidth quantum emitters with 2D materials. Her PhD work is under the supervision of Prof. Frank Koppens (co-supervision, Dr Antoine Reserbat-Plantey).

Support Team

Nuria Charles – Harris is a Coordinated Project Manager at ICFO. She has 4 years’ experience in International and national projects management in Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomédica. In 2014 she started to work at ICFO in the projects unit in charge of international coordinated projects. She will coordinate the project activities, manage the administrative task, work plan and reportings as well ensure the smooth flow of information between partners and the EC. Together with the Coordinator, she will coordinate the core task and guarantee the quality of 2D-SIPC.

Alina Hirschmann is the Science communication officer at ICFO and communication coordinator of 2D·SIPC. She holds a master’s degree in Communication Management and received her Astrophysics PhD degree in 2009. From 2006 to 2010, she worked as an associate professor at the Dept. of Physics and Nuclear Engineering (ETSEIB) of the UPC. In 2009, she became communications manager at IEEC. Since 2013, she is the Science Communicator Officer at ICFO.

Marta Martín holds a BSc in Environmental Biology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and an MSc in Neurosciences from the University of Barcelona, and a postgraduate degree in Science Communication. She started her career as a researcher in evolutionary anthropology and animal behaviour, focusing on primates’ socialisation. She has communicated and disseminated science both in research institutes and at the university level.

The University of Manchester was founded in 1824 and is the largest university in the UK with 11,000 staff and over 39,000 students, laying claim to 25 Nobel Laureates amongst its current and former staff. It is ranked 41st in ARWU league table of world universities, 8th in Europe and 5th in the UK. Materials research at Manchester is based at the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE), one of the largest in the UK with over 10,000 students, 2,000 staff and strategic links with over 300 industrial companies, >50 of which pursue in graphene-related R&D at various TRLs. Manchester has the largest single graphene research capability with over 200 researchers working on graphene projects covering a broad spectrum including graphene and other 2D nanomaterials and composites, nanoelectronics, flexible and printed electronics, spintronics, metrology & standardization, nanooptics and plasmonics, CVD growth, energy storage, and sensors. All this research is centred around the National Graphene Institute (NGI), brand new centre of excellence in research in two-dimensional nanomaterials and nanotechnology. The NGI is a collaboration platform for single- and multi-disciplinary projects run by academics from Physics, Chemistry, Materials, and EEE, and also home for the Centre of Doctoral Training Graphene-NOWNANO, focused on science, technology and applications of 2D materials.

Researchers

Konstantin Novoselov is the joint recipient of the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics. His work is at the forefront of 2D materials research, including fabrication and characterisation of new 2D materials, their heterostructures and 2DM-based optoelectronic devices (300 peer-refereed papers, h-index = 96). He holds a Royal Society University Research Fellowship and an ERC Synergy Grant; his honors include the Europhysics Prize and the Nicolas Kurti prize.

Vladimir Fal’ko is Director of NGI and Head of Theory Division in the School of Physics. He works on theory of 2D materials; he co-discovered bilayer graphene and developed theories of optical and electronics transport properties of 2D materials based devices (260 papers, h-index = 50). He is founding Editor-in-Chief of IoP Journal 2D Materials. In 2010, he was awarded Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award.

The University of Cambridge (UCAM) is one of the world’s oldest universities and leading academic centres, and a self-governed community of scholars. Its reputation for outstanding academic achievement is known world-wide and reflects the intellectual achievement of its students, as well as its world-class original research. Cambridge comprises 31 Colleges and over 150 departments, faculties, schools and other institutions. 98 affiliates of the University won the Nobel Prize since 1904. The Department of Engineering is the largest in Cambridge. It provides a world-class research and technology environment, encouraging research activities to proceed to development and exploitation in close collaboration with industry. The Cambridge Graphene Centre has the mission to investigate the science and technology of graphene, carbon allotropes, layered crystals and hybrid nanomaterials. This engineering innovation centre allows our partners to meet, and effectively establish joint industrial-academic activities to promote innovative and adventurous research with an emphasis on applications. The over £30M facilities and equipment have been selected to promote alignment with industry, covering all aspects of science and technology of graphene and related materials, for development of solutions and inks, printed and flexible optoelectronics, photonics, quantum technologies, high frequency electronics and spectroscopy, a dedicated dry room and battery lab with hundreds of battery channels, CVD production of a variety of layered materials, in-situ metrology to probe the fundamental mechanisms that govern their growth and functionality. The CGC provides access to over 1000m2 of class 100, 1000, 10000 cleanrooms, fully equipped with all facilities, ranging from E-beam lithography and laser writing, to robotic assisted exfoliation and assembly of layered materials in a controlled athmosphere, as well as over 1000m2 of other labs. The CGC also hosts the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Graphene Technology, with the aim to aid in the development of people to stimulate the sustainability of engineering research and commercialisation of graphene and related materials across a variety of sectors. The CDT works closely with industry to ensure that successful students are properly equipped to follow careers in both industry and academia. The CGC has around 100 personnel, with other 40 associated academics.

Researchers

Prof Mete Atatüre is an expert in solid-state quantum optics and applications. His current research efforts include optical control of quantum-dot spins and diamond impurities, quantum sensors and investigations of novel quantum materials and devices. He is an author of more than 70 peer reviewed articles, including 7 Nature/Science and 31 Nature Family and PRLs (h-index = 30) and has a patent on large-scale creating of quantum emitters in layered materials. He was awarded an ERC Starting Grant in 2008 and an ERC Consolidator Award in 2014. He is a co-investigator of NQIT, one of the UK Quantum Technology Hubs. He is an elected Fellow of both the Institute of Physics and the Turkish Science Academy. He was selected the GQ Turkey 2015 Man of the Year for his contributions in quantum optics and science communication.

Andrea C. Ferrari is Professor of Nanotechnology, founding Director of the Cambridge Graphene Centre and EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Graphene Technology and Head of the Nanomaterials and Spectroscopy group. He is author of over 350 papers and 250 plenary, keynote and invited talks. He has >80,000 citations, with an H index of 99, and a current rate of >11,000 citations per year. He was included in the 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researchers’ Lists. He received the Royal Society Brian Mercer Award for Innovation, the Marie Curie Excellence Award, the Philip Leverhulme Prize, the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award, the EU-40 Materials Prize, a Fellowship of the American Physical Society, a Fellowship of the Institute of Physics, a Fellowship of the Materials Research Society, a Fellowship of the Optical Society, a Cambridge ScD, the Charles E. Pettinos Award of the American Carbon Society, the ACS Nano Award Lectureship, to name a few.

CNIT is a non-profit Consortium of 37 Italian Universities, organized in 4 National Laboratories (NLs) and 44 Research Units, and including also 7 embedded into institutes of the National Research Council (CNR). CNIT was created to develop research, innovation and training in the field of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT). More than 1,300 researchers, belonging to the Member universities, collaborate within CNIT, together with more than 100 CNIT employees. The NLs are structures owned and managed directly by CNIT and play an intensive research activity (design and implementation areas) on a national and international basis. The innovation and technology transfer of research results towards end users and industry is a primary mission for CNIT. It also promotes the collaboration between member universities and other educational institutes as well as technical and scientific collaborations with national and international research institutes and industries.

Researchers

Marco Romagnoli, Head of the Integrated Photonics Design Center at CNIT-PNTLab, contract professor at Scuola Superiore S. Anna in Pisa, and former Director in Pirelli R&D dept. He has over 30 years of experience in Research, especially in the area of photonic technologies for TLC. After the Laurea Degree in Physics at the University of Rome (La Sapienza), in 1983 he started his activity at IBM Research Center in San Jose. In 1984 he joined Fondazione Ugo Bordoni in the Optical Communications Department working on optical components and transmission systems. In 1998 he joined Pirelli. In Pirelli R&D Photonics served as director of Design and Characterization and Chief Scientist. Since 2001 he pioneered the activity on Si Photonics in Pirelli Labs and started the development platform for optical components. This activity included also a 5 yr’s program at MIT that he managed. In the same period he developed the Ge:SiO2 platform for various index contrasts and the SiN and SiON platforms. and In Oct 2010 he joined PhotonIC Corp, a Si-Photonics company, as Director of Boston Operations and program manager at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for the development of an optically interconnected multiprocessor Si chip. Marco Romagnoli is actually WP leader for Graphene system integration in the EU Graphene Flagship, he is director of the sector on Advanced Technologies for Photonic Integration and Si Photonics Design Center at CNIT. He is author of more than 200 journal papers and conference contributions, he is also inventor in more than 50 patents.

Massimo Artiglia is Senior Researcher at CNIT-PNTLab Integrated Photonics Design Center. He has a long experience in the field of Photonics. He received a Master Degree in Physics and started working on Fibre Optics in 1985 at CSELT (Turin) where he contributed to the development of fibre optic characterization methods and related Standards. He then worked on Optical Amplification and Fibre Non-Linearities, studying their impact in optical telecommunications systems using Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM). As Head of a Research Unit at CSELT he gave a strong impulse to the introduction of WDM systems in the Optical Network of the Italian Incumbent TLC Operator. In 2000 he moved to Pirelli (Milan) where he was Senior Scientist at the Fiber Optic Labs, supervising the development of new fibre optic products. In 2004 he moved to Corecom (University R&D consortium funded by Pirelli Labs and Politecnico di Milano), where he was Principal Investigator involved in reserach on Integrated Optics and Silicon Photonics in strict collaboration with Pirelli Labs. In 2009 he joined the Italian Metrological Institute (INRiM, Turin) where he worked at the development of photonic systems for biomedical and bioscience applications (regenerative Medicine). In 2013 he joined PNTLab (at the time LNRF, Pisa) where he was first involved in research on advanced photonic systems for the Access Network (in collaboration with the TeCIP institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, and finally on integrated photonic devices for Quantum Technologies at the Integrated Photonics Design Center. He participated/contributed to various Standardisation Bodies (ITU-T, IEC, CEI) as an expert of Fiber Optics Systems. He is authors of more than 100 journal and conference papers, contributor to two books on Fiber Optics and Fiber Optic Systems and owns 6 patents.

Vito Sorianello is Researcher at CNIT-PNTLab Integrated Photonics Design Center. received his PhD in Electronic Engineering in 2010. He joined CNIT-PNTLab in 2013. He has been involved in several application oriented research projects in collaboration with international research institutions and industries (e.g. Italian CNR, Pirelli Labs, AdvanceSis Ltd, Ericsson, ecc.). He was responsible of the fabrication and characterization processes of Germanium on Silicon photodectors at the Nonlinear Optics ad OptoElectronics Lab of University of Rome “Roma Tre”. His main research interests are design, modeling, fabrication and characterization of photonic and optoelectronic components for the Silicon Photonics such as Ge photodetectors, Si modulators, Si passive components.

Based in Delft, the Netherlands, Single Quantum is the market leader in the emerging field of superconducting single photon detectors. The company was created in 2012 as a spin-off of Delft University of Technology: a positive example of how excellence in science can be translated into a successful business. Single Quantum designs and builds complete single-photon detection systems based on superconducting nanowires. Since its start, the company has built an impressive track-record in entrepreneurship, high quality manufacture, innovation and engineering. Single Quantum photon detection systems have already been installed in universities, research institutes and industrial research labs all around the globe. Our customer list features Toshiba Research Labs, Hamamatsu Photonics, Huawei, the United State Air Force, Los Alamos laboratories, for a total of more than 60 academic and industrial labs all over the world. We experience a strong market pull for this emerging technology, reflected in a continuously growing turnover that more than doubled every year since 2013. Accordingly, Single Quantum is expanding its team with highly specialized employees and investments in technical equipment and production facilities.

Researchers

Sander N. Dorenbos obtained his PhD in 2011 from Delft University of Technology on superconducting single photon detectors. He is co-founder of Single Quantum and currently leads the company as Chief Executive Officer. During his PhD, Sander demonstrated the advantages of superconducting nanowire detectors through numerous collaborations, published over 20 articles and paved the way for industrialization of these detectors. He has more than 10 years of experience in the field of superconducting detectors.

Andreas Fognini is responsible to improve and innovate the products at Single Quantum, he joined SQ in October 2018. Andreas got his PhD from ETH Zürich in 2014 where he investigated the cause for ultrafast demagnetization in ferromagnets. Later, he worked as a postdoc at TU Delft where his main achievement was to show that quantum dots can emit perfectly entangled photon pairs.