Intel corporation, in collaboration with QuTech, have developed the first industrially-manufactured qubit device. This can be considered a significant advancement in quantum computing. Industrially produced qubits have a lot of potential as they will help accelerate the process of building new quantum computers from scratch and increase scalability in quantum computing.
One of the setbacks in manufacturing quantum computers is finding a suitable type of qubit and the ability to meet the demands of large scale manufacturing. Quantum computers presently use qubits in semiconductor quantum dots. Here, a single electron is trapped in a quantum dot. The operation is based on the spin property of a single electron.
On this basis, Intel corporation has collaborated with QuTech to build the first industrially manufactured qubit that will serve the same purpose as those manufactured in cleanrooms.
Industrial semiconductor qubit chips are restricted by design. On the other hand, those manufactured in cleanrooms are more flexible in design but unreliable for large scale production.
With the launch of the new qubit device, people were concerned about the reliability and flexibility of the qubit’s design.
The QuTech scientists had these to say.
“Industrial manufacturing techniques are different from those typically used to fabricate such quantum dot samples,” “It was as if we were first writing with calligraphy, and now, we changed to a stencil machine. The former gives more flexibility; the latter significantly improves yield and uniformity. Moreover, instead of making 20 devices at a time, a fabrication round now gives us tens of thousands of devices, allowing us to collect statistics on the device properties.”
Anne-Marije, first author and Ph.D. researcher at QuTech.
This advancement in quantum computing makes the goal of integrating millions of qubits more feasible, and producing large-scale quantum computers in the future may become a reality.
“So many articles state: semiconductor spin qubits in silicon are compatible with CMOS semiconductor manufacturing. But only now, we have proven that to be true” “Moreover, the device yield achieved by the Intel team was an unprecedented 98%, compared to 50% on a good day in our university cleanroom.”
Lieven Vandersypen, lead scientist at QuTech
QuTech is a Netherland based advanced research centre for quantum computing. Its mission is to develop scalable prototypes of a quantum computer and an inherently safe quantum internet based on the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics.
Intel Corporation is a United States-based technology company that manufactures semiconductors. Its mission is to shape the future of technology to help create a better future for the entire world. By pushing forward in fields like AI, analytics and cloud-to-edge technology, Intel’s work is at the heart of countless innovations.
