Stony Brook Researcher Leads Quantum Technology Discussion at NORDTECH Meeting

Quantum computers and other emerging technologies often depend on equipment that takes up considerable space in a research laboratory. At Stony Brook University, Hyeongrak "Chuck" Choi is working to make some of that technology small enough to fit on a chip.

Choi, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, shared his work at the Northeast Regional Defense Technology Hub (NORDTECH) Annual Hub Meeting August 3-4 at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering in Brooklyn.

Choi hosted and led the meeting's technical discussion on quantum technologies with Javad Shabani, director of the NYU Quantum Institute. The session brought together researchers and industry representatives to explore how advances in microelectronics and photonics could help move quantum technologies beyond the laboratory.

Choi guided the discussion toward a central challenge: turning fundamental quantum research into practical systems that can be built and operated at scale. Achieving that goal requires not only advances in quantum research, but also the semiconductor manufacturing, electronic controls and the integration of photonic devices needed to make them work together reliably.

Participants included representatives from Stony Brook, the University at Albany, the University at Buffalo, Brookhaven National Laboratory and industrial companies including Boeing, Raytheon, Spark Photonics and Kurt J. Lesker.

NORDTECH is one of eight regional hubs in the federal Microelectronics Commons initiative, a $2 billion program funded through the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Launched by the U.S. Department of Defense in 2023, the initiative connects researchers with the facilities and expertise needed to move emerging microelectronics from laboratory demonstrations to fabrication-ready prototypes for defense and commercial applications. Quantum technologies are one of NORDTECH's four technical focus areas.

At the meeting, Choi highlighted how his group's research addresses this integration challenge. His team, Quantum Engineering and Photonics lab, is developing ways to combine quantum bits, or qubits, with conventional semiconductor electronics and tiny photonic circuits that guide and manipulate light. The work focuses on solid-state spin qubits, which store quantum information in the quantum states of atomic-scale defects in materials such as diamond.

These qubits can interact with light particles - photons - offering a way to connect quantum devices through photonic circuits, while integrated electronics provide the controls and readout needed to operate them. Choi's group is investigating how these components can be assembled into systems that support many interconnected quantum devices rather than isolated laboratory demonstrations.

"By integrating quantum devices with semiconductor electronics and photonic circuits, we aim to transform room-sized laboratory setups into compact, fingernail-sized quantum systems on a chip," Choi said.

Advances such as these could support future applications in quantum computing, communication and sensing, including technologies that could be used outside specialized research facilities.

Choi also sees NORDTECH as an opportunity to connect Stony Brook's quantum research with New York's semiconductor industry and advanced manufacturing infrastructure. That includes NY CREATES, a founding NORDTECH member, and AIM Photonics, which provides access to integrated photonics fabrication, packaging and testing capabilities. He identifies stronger connections among universities, national laboratories and industry, and the collaborative research opportunities they could create, as important next steps toward practical quantum systems.

These efforts come as Stony Brook expands its quantum research efforts, supported by a $300 million investment from New York State to establish the Quantum Research and Innovation Hub. The planned facility will house the Stony Brook Quantum Institute, launched in March 2026 and led by Eden Figueroa.

"I see a major opportunity for Stony Brook to help bridge the gap between fundamental quantum research and the semiconductor and microelectronics industries," Choi said.

- Beth Squire