Why is it so hard to squeeze light on a chip?

Squeezed light — where quantum noise is suppressed below the standard vacuum level — is a key resource for quantum sensing and computing, but shrinking the hardware onto a chip introduces noise sources that cap how much squeezing you can actually use. By systematically measuring and modeling these limits across multiple integrated photonics platforms, the team found a surprisingly consistent pattern: the same fundamental trade-offs appear regardless of material or design. Their simple predictive model should help engineers know exactly what to fix before building the next generation of devices.