NSF Award
2425611
The next generation of technologies that take advantage of the unique aspects of quantum mechanics promise revolutionary advancements in cryptography, secure communications, and scientific discovery. Devices such as quantum computers or networks will need to execute quantum algorithms that typically use thousands of error-corrected qubits made up of millions of individually controlled physical qubits. A major outstanding problem is scaling existing technology to the required millions of qubits. This NSF project aims to develop a scalable, semiconductor-based quantum system that leverages the advancements in semiconductor manufacturing achieved in the past half-century that has enabled fabrication of billions of transistors, sustaining Moore’s Law and beyond. New design tools, systems-integration software, and semiconductor hardware will be produced to meet the scaling challenges. This project will also include an extensive outreach effort to local K-12 and community colleges to build up the next generation of<br/>scientists in important industries such as semiconductor manufacturing, systems, and quantum information science.<br/><br/>This NSF research project will focus on the co-design of silicon-based application-specific integrated circuits and atom-control photonic integrated circuits specifically for large-scale control of color-center qubits in diamond. The ultimate goal is to construct a high-performance prototype quantum system able to perform complex operations, programmed completely by the electronic and photonic control chips. We divide our research approach into the following tasks: develop cryo-compatible CMOS integrated circuits for embedded color centers; develop large-scale integration of color centers, encompassing tens of thousands of individually addressable qubits; systems integration of piezoelectrically actuated atom-control photonic integrated circuits; and understand how errors propagate in our diamond color center qubits. Combining the four tasks together, we aim to demonstrate that the assembled qubits with the CMOS-fabricated electronic and photonic controls satisfy the DiVincenzo criteria: precise qubits,<br/>initialization to a known state, sustained coherence, a universal quantum gate set, and individual qubit measurability without disruption.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
