Infleqtion, a neutral-atom quantum technology company, and Silicon Light Machines (SLM), a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) innovator, have announced a strategic partnership to integrate SLM’s Displacement Phase Modulator (DPM™) technology into Infleqtion’s neutral atom quantum computing systems. The collaboration is intended to enhance the speed and scalability of the neutral atom platform by accelerating individual qubit addressing.
The DPM™ technology uses a silicon-germanium (SiGe) MEMS that integrates high-speed, non-contact piston phase modulators onto CMOS drivers. This innovation enables faster phase modulation, which is critical for advanced quantum applications such as individual qubit addressing, optical multiplexing, and scalable laser processing applications. The 32×256 DPM device is capable of 250 kHz modulation, with a full frame refresh period of 4 μs. Infleqtion’s strategy involves leveraging advanced Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) for miniaturization and enhanced ruggedness across three domains: laser systems, frequency control, and atom addressing.
The integration addresses a key bottleneck in neutral atom systems, where individual laser addressing is crucial. The fast modulators allow the frame switching time to approach the duration of the neutral atom gates (on the order of 100 ns), which is necessary for increasing the gate execution rate and reducing application runtime. Infleqtion’s strategy involves leveraging advanced Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) for miniaturization and enhanced ruggedness.
This partnership is positioned as a strategic step toward enhancing the critical photonics technologies needed to effectively scale Infleqtion’s neutral atom quantum computer. SLM also noted its roadmap for a 128×128 DPM device with a minimum operating speed of 100 kHz, expected in 2026.
Read the full announcement here and review the technical deep-dive in the SLM presentation here.
October 12, 2025
