World’s Purest Silicon Paves Way for Scalable Quantum Computers

Scientists at the University of Manchester and the University of Melbourne have created an ultra-pure form of silicon, a crucial step towards scalable quantum computers. The silicon, described as the world’s purest, allows for the construction of high-performance qubit devices, the building blocks of quantum computing. The team removed silicon 29 and 30 atoms, which cause qubits to lose information, making the material ideal for quantum computers. Professor Richard Curry of the University of Manchester and PhD researcher Ravi Acharya were key contributors to the project. The findings were published in the journal Communications Materials – Nature.

Quantum Computing: A Leap Forward with Ultra-Pure Silicon

In a significant development in the field of quantum computing, scientists from The University of Manchester and the University of Melbourne have engineered an ultra-pure form of silicon. This breakthrough, published in the journal Communications Materials – Nature, could potentially revolutionize the construction of high-performance qubit devices, a fundamental component required for scalable quantum computers.

The team, led by Professor Richard Curry of Advanced Electronic Materials at The University of Manchester, has effectively created a critical ‘brick’ needed to construct a silicon-based quantum computer. This technology has the potential to process data at an unprecedented scale, potentially providing solutions to complex issues such as climate change and healthcare challenges. This achievement is particularly significant as it aligns with the 200th anniversary of The University of Manchester, a hub of scientific innovation.

Overcoming Challenges in Quantum Computing

One of the major hurdles in the development of quantum computers is the sensitivity of qubits – the building blocks of quantum computing. Qubits require a stable environment to maintain the information they hold, and even minor changes in their environment, including temperature fluctuations, can cause errors.

Another challenge is their scale, both in terms of physical size and processing power. Ten qubits have the same processing power as 1,024 bits in a conventional computer and can potentially occupy a much smaller volume. Scientists estimate that a fully functioning quantum computer would need around one million qubits, a capability unfeasible by any classical computer.

Silicon: The Key to Scalable Quantum Computers

Silicon, due to its semiconductor properties, is the foundational material in classical computing. Scientists have spent the last 60 years learning how to engineer silicon to maximize its performance. However, in quantum computing, silicon presents its own set of challenges.

Natural silicon is composed of three atoms of different mass (isotopes) – silicon 28, 29, and 30. The Si-29 isotope, which makes up around 5% of silicon, causes a ‘nuclear flip flopping’ effect that results in the qubit losing information. The team at The University of Manchester has engineered silicon to remove the silicon 29 and 30 atoms, making it an ideal material for constructing quantum computers at scale, and with high accuracy.

The World’s Purest Silicon: A Pathway to Quantum Computing

The result of this engineering feat is the world’s purest silicon, which provides a pathway to the creation of one million qubits, potentially the size of a pinhead. Ravi Acharya, a PhD researcher who performed experimental work in the project, explained that the breakthrough purity solves the problem of creating high-quality Silicon qubits.

This new capability offers a roadmap towards scalable quantum devices with unparalleled performance and capabilities, holding the promise of transforming technologies in ways hard to imagine.

Quantum Computing: The Future of Technology

Quantum computing operates using the spin of single electrons, moving from working in the ‘classical’ world to the ‘quantum’ world; from using ‘bits’ to ‘qubits’. Unlike classical computers that perform one calculation after another, quantum computers can perform all calculations simultaneously, allowing them to process vast amounts of information and perform complex calculations at an unrivaled speed.

Professor David Jamieson, from the University of Melbourne, said that their technique opens the path to reliable quantum computers that promise step changes across society, including in artificial intelligence, secure data and communications, vaccine and drug design, and energy use, logistics, and manufacturing. The next step will be to demonstrate that they can sustain quantum coherence for many qubits simultaneously. A reliable quantum computer with just 30 qubits would exceed the power of today’s supercomputers for some applications.