I-Corps: Scalable quantum hardware for use in quantum computers and quantum communication industries

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发混合半导体-超导结构，这对于开发未来的纳米设备至关重要，以形成量子技术的支柱，包括量子计算机、通信网络和密码学应用。这些努力可能会加快量子计算在材料发现、生物、制药、物流、优化、网络安全、金融和化学等领域的实际和商业应用。例如，适当规模的量子计算可以通过模拟疫苗开发中涉及的复杂生物过程来更快地开发疫苗。要实现第二次量子革命的承诺，需要新的工具和方法来应对量子计算机的可扩展性挑战。通过解决这个问题，量子计算机可能达到其真正的计算能力。这项拟议的工作旨在通过将集成硬件解决方案与专注于材料的技术相结合来解决这一关键需求，以创建可用于量子计算机和量子通信行业的解决方案。这个i-Corps项目基于通过材料研究开发用于产生纠缠光子的混合纳米器件，以及用于控制和测量量子比特的紧凑和高度可集成的硬件接口。这一努力可能有助于解决量子计算机中最大的挑战之一-可伸缩性。更具体地说，探讨了二维材料中的邻近效应，重点是超导体-半导体界面。这种方法的预期应用是为量子信息技术创造高纯度、按需纠缠的光子源。这项工作通过在一类新的材料系统中探索库珀对和激子之间的相互作用，为现有的研究邻近关联的工作增加了一个新的维度。这一能力与可扩展的控制和测量硬件相结合，可以为解决量子计算和量子通信的重大挑战提供基础。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of hybrid semiconductor-superconductor structures essential for developing future nano-devices to form the backbone of quantum technologies including quantum computers, communication networks, and cryptography applications. These efforts may accelerate practical and commercial applications of quantum computing in material discovery, biology, pharma, logistics, optimization, cybersecurity, finance, and chemistry. For example, adequately scaled quantum computing may allow much faster development of vaccines by simulating the complicated biological processes involved in vaccine development. Achieving the promise of the second quantum revolution requires new tools and methods to address the scalability challenge in quantum computers. By solving this problem, quantum computers may reach their true computational power. The proposed effort seeks to address this key need by focusing on combining an integrated hardware solution with materials-focused technology to create a solution that may be used in quantum computers and quantum communication industries.This I-Corps project is based on the development of hybrid nanodevices used in the generation of entangled photons through materials research combined with a compact and highly integrable hardware interface for control and measurement of qubits. This effort may help to solve one of the biggest challenges in quantum computers - scalability. More specifically, the proximity effects in two-dimensional materials with a focus on the superconductor-semiconductor interface is explored. The intended application of this approach is in the creation of high-purity, on-demand entangled photon sources for quantum information technology. This work adds a new dimension to existing efforts in studying proximity correlations by exploring interactions between Cooper-pairs and excitons across the van der Waals interface in a new class of materials system. This capability is combined with scalable control and measurement hardware that may provide a foundation for solving significant challenges of quantum computing and quantum communication.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.