EAGER: Quantum Manufacturing: Atomic-layer Etching Manufacturing Processes for High Performance Superconducting Quantum Devices

EARLY概念探索性研究（EAGER）量子制造奖支持为新型原子级制造工艺贡献新知识的研究，促进科学进步和国家繁荣。量子计算机、传感器和其他利用量子力学反直觉效应的设备由于其在科学和技术中的潜在应用而引起了人们的浓厚兴趣。然而，除了用于半导体的制造工艺之外，还需要新的原子级精确的制造工艺。常规的半导体处理可能导致量子器件的性能降低，从而刺激了与包括量子器件的材料和结构兼容的制造方法的发展。该奖项支持基础研究，为量子技术的原子层蚀刻开发提供所需的知识。原子层蚀刻有可能实现原子尺度上的精确制造，其精度超过现有的制造方法。这种新的处理技术可能会导致量子设备的性能明显优于现有设备，从而促进其最终应用。这项研究的成果将通过新技术的进一步发展使美国经济和社会受益。这项研究涉及多个学科，包括制造，等离子体加工，微波工程和材料科学。多学科方法将有助于扩大代表性不足的群体在研究中的参与，并对工程教育产生积极影响。要实现基于超导电路的量子设备的革命性潜力，需要在相干时间和稳定性方面有数量级的改进。目前超导量子硬件的限制机制是由微加工系统的传统制造方法引入的表面缺陷引起的。 原子层蚀刻（ALE）是一种新型的制造工艺，通过实现具有原子单层精度和原位钝化能力的减材制造工艺，具有克服这一长期挑战的潜力。 该项目将开发ALE工艺，以工程化超导量子器件中使用的介电和金属薄膜的表面，从而大大提高精度，显着减少二能级系统（TLS）的负面影响。 这项研究的成果将是一种新的制造工艺，实现超导量子电路，其中表面缺陷不再是退相干和低频波动的主要贡献者。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This EArly-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) Quantum Manufacturing award supports research contributing new knowledge to a novel atomic-scale manufacturing process, promoting both the progress of science and advancing national prosperity. Quantum computers, sensors, and other devices harnessing the counter-intuitive effects of quantum mechanics are now of intense interest due to their potential applications in science and technology. However, new atomically precise manufacturing processes beyond those used for semiconductors are needed. Conventional semiconductor processing can result in decreased performance of quantum devices spurring the development of manufacturing approaches compatible with the materials and structures comprising quantum devices. This award supports fundamental research to provide needed knowledge for the development of atomic layer etching for quantum technology. Atomic layer etching has the potential to enable precise manufacturing on the atomic scale with precision beyond existing manufacturing methods. Such new processing techniques could lead to quantum devices that could perform significantly better than present devices, facilitating their eventual applications. Results of this research will benefit the U.S. economy and society through the further development of new technologies. This research involves several disciplines including manufacturing, plasma processing, microwave engineering, and materials science. The multi-disciplinary approach will help broaden participation of underrepresented groups in research and positively impact engineering education. Realizing the revolutionary potential of quantum devices based on superconducting circuits will require orders-of-magnitude improvements in coherence times and stability. The present limiting mechanisms of superconducting quantum hardware arise from surface imperfections introduced from traditional manufacturing methods of microfabricated systems. Atomic layer etching (ALE) is a novel manufacturing process with potential to overcome this long-standing challenge by enabling a subtractive manufacturing process with atomic monolayer precision and in-situ passivation capability. This project will develop ALE processes to engineer the surfaces of dielectric and metallic films used in superconducting quantum devices with potentially greatly improved precision, markedly reducing the negative effects of two-level systems (TLS). The outcome of this research will be a novel manufacturing process to realize superconducting quantum circuits for which surface imperfections are no longer the dominant contributor to decoherence and low frequency fluctuations.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.