Interference between independent photonic integrated devices for quantum key distribution

Advances in quantum computing are a rapidly growing threat towards modern cryptography. Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides long-term security without assuming the computational power of an adversary. However, inconsistencies between theory and experiment have raised questions in terms of real-world security, while large and power-hungry commercial systems have slowed wide-scale adoption. Measurement-device-independent QKD (MDI-QKD) provides a method of sharing secret keys that removes all possible detector side-channel attacks which drastically improves security claims. In this Letter, we experimentally demonstrate a key step required to perform MDI-QKD with scalable integrated devices. We show Hong–Ou–Mandel interference between weak coherent states carved from two independent indium phosphide transmitters at 431 MHz with a visibility of 46.5±0.8%. This Letter demonstrates the feasibility of using integrated devices to lower a major barrier towards the adoption of QKD in metropolitan networks.