Cardiff Engineers turn lighting quantum

Light is composed of individual particles, called photons, which are generated in enormous numbers by the light sources we see with our eyes. Quantum light allows for new light sources where one photon at a time can be created. It holds the key to many ground-breaking technologies which could revolutionize the world around us.

Using an intense laser pulse lasting just one millionth of a millionth of a second, researchers at the School of Engineering drilled microscopic holes, each less than one hundredth the width of a human hair, into the semiconductor Gallium Nitride (GaN) to create quantum light.

Although Gallium Nitride is widely used in commercial lighting, this is the first time it has been used to generate single quanta of light in this way.

The technique is particularly promising because it is compatible with industrial-scale production of Gallium Nitride, enabling the creation of regularly spaced patterns of quantum light sources over large areas, which can operate at room temperature.

Professor Anthony Bennett, leader of the Quantum Lab, explained: “This breakthrough could drive applications in the rapidly growing fields of quantum technology, such as quantum networking, which has been identified as a UK Government priority through its Quantum Missions.”

The research was conducted by the Quantum Lab, based in Cardiff University’s Translational Research Hub, in collaboration with partners in Italy, India, and Japan. The work was supported by funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and by the European Union’s H2020 Marie Curie ITN project LasIonDef.

You can find out more about the Cardiff University Quantum Lab at https://qlabcardiff.co.uk/

Read the full research article in ACS Photonics:
Y. Guo et al., ACS Photonics (2025), 12(10), 5716–5722.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsphotonics.5c01506