Icarus quantum seeks to develop a fully fiber-coupled, turnkey photon source based on semiconductor QD technology

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded Icarus Quantum Inc. a $400,000 Cooperative Agreement under the Science, Technology, Business and/or Education Outreach program (CFDA 11.620) effective October 1, 2025, with completion targeted for September 30, 2027. Under this award, Icarus Quantum will develop a fully fiber-coupled, turnkey photon source based on semiconductor quantum dot (QD) technology, with particular emphasis on robust and stable fiber-coupling of single-photon sources. This development represents a critical milestone toward efficient entangled photon sources and quantum transducers, ultimately supporting a full-stack, platform-agnostic quantum interconnect platform.

The project is expected to position Icarus Quantum to address a $20 billion market opportunity by 2035 through its quantum interconnect offerings. The intended beneficiaries of this technology development include the pharmaceutical, materials discovery, and finance sectors. Work will be performed at the awardee's facility in Boulder, Colorado, with no subrecipient activities scheduled. The award aligns with NIST's mandate to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector and strengthen the role of small businesses in federal research and development initiatives.

Activities

In this project, icarus quantum will address robust and stable fiber-coupling of such single-photon sources.

Expected outcomes

Based on its market research, icarus quantum anticipates that IT will be able to address a $20 billion market opportunity by 2035 through its full-stack, platform-agnostic quantum interconnects.

Intended beneficiaries

Pharmaceuticals, materials discovery, and finance.

Subrecipient activities

There are no subrecipient activities scheduled.