Integrating ultra-sensitive single-photon counting (DV-QKD) with high-rate coherent homodyne detection (CV-QKD) on a single unified photonic blade.
DV-QKD utilizes polarization or phase-encoded weak coherent pulses measured by superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs). Operating with dark count rates below 1 Hz, DV systems maintain key distribution across fiber spans exceeding 120 km without amplification.
CV-QKD modulates the quadratures (X and P) of coherent laser states and decodes them using standard telecom-grade balanced homodyne receivers. Because CV-QKD functions at room temperature without cryocoolers, it achieves megabit-per-second key generation across dense metro rings under 40 km.