The evolution of optical interconnect technology: from long-haul telecommunication to quantum networks

Optical interconnect technology has been adopted for over half a century. Today approximately one billion optical connectors and interconnects are deployed annually, and the growth is expected to increase as more technologies incorporate optical and photonic components. Although its basic function (the conveyance of photons over a channel) has remained the same, optical interconnect has been constantly evolving and innovating over the decades to push the boundaries of performance. In this paper we report on the evolution of optical interconnect technology from its initial applications in long haul telecommunications links to its future application to quantum networks.