From photonic integrated circuits to room-temperature quantum chips: laser nanoprinting for nanophotonic breakthroughs

Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are central to scalable nanophotonics and are widely regarded as the most viable platform for large-scale quantum photonic systems. However, as quantum PICs increase in complexity, fabrication variability, optical loss accumulation, planar integration constraints and heterogeneous material stacking have emerged as primary bottlenecks, shifting the challenge from device physics to manufacturability. The pursuit of room-temperature quantum photonic chips further intensifies requirements for low-loss routing, thermal stability, packaging tolerance and multi-material co-integration. Here we argue that laser nanoprinting, particularly femtosecond laser direct writing, enabling three-dimensional photonic interconnects, permanent phase correction and localized refractive index control, directly addressing yield and scalability challenges. Integrating laser-based correction and 3D structuring within heterogeneous PIC platforms may therefore provide a practical pathway toward reproducible, manufacturable and room-temperature deployable quantum photonic systems.