EAGER: Quantum Manufacturing: Scalable Manufacturing of Molecular Qubit Arrays Using Self-assembled DNA

与通常用于传统计算和传感设备的硅基材料相比，同样需要新材料来实现低成本、无处不在的量子传感和计算系统的制造和部署，用于健康和诊断、自主和机器人以及其他主要社会需求的技术领域的各种应用。为此，探索性研究（EAGER）量子制造奖的早期概念资助支持纳米技术研究，以控制分子“量子比特”的二维空间位置和方向，以制造多量子比特系统和设备。这些量子比特网络的新型器件读出将被制造出来，并具有集成到传统和实用光子电路架构中的潜力。一个由化学、生物工程和电气工程研究人员组成的跨学科团队将被召集起来，追求这种面向可扩展量子器件制造的变革性方法，这将改变量子比特制造的规模化实施方式。这项研究将提高美国在这个日益增长的全球技术领域的竞争力。与这项研究相关的创新课程开发将在本科和研究生阶段进行，包括指导高中学生、妇女和代表性不足的少数民族。光寻址量子比特为量子信息科学提供了一个可推广的平台。然而，纳米空位色中心在量子比特网络中缺乏精确的空间分布，阻碍了它们向可扩展、低成本设备制造的转变。化学定制有机金属自旋量子比特系统的最新进展显示出作为一种替代方案的希望，化学合成提供了自下而上的量子比特设计和跨不同环境的可移植性。然而，为了实现固态，这些有机金属量子位需要在主基质共晶体中稀释，从而产生分布的色中心环境和密度，从而阻碍了可控制的、可扩展的量子位网络。作为替代方案，利用DNA折纸原理编程的高度可编程DNA组件的单分子可寻址性将与化学定制的有机金属量子位一起利用，以实现空间控制量子位的可扩展制造平台。使用这些基于dna的支架的独特有机金属色中心将使量子比特集成到高阶空间网络中，以制造多量子比特系统和设备。利用可编程的DNA结构与光刻图案半导体层的形状匹配，二维DNA结构将以纳米级的位置和方向在器件表面上进行图像化。生物分析物的量子传感与DNA平台上的量子位的可寻址接近将被原型化。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In contrast to silicon-based materials commonly used for conventional computing and sensing devices, new materials are needed to similarly enable the low-cost, ubiquitous manufacturing and deployment of quantum sensing and computing systems for a variety of applications in health and diagnostics, autonomy and robotics, and other technological areas of major societal need. Toward this end, this EArly-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) Quantum Manufacturing award supports nanotechnology research to control the 2D spatial positions and orientation of molecular “qubits” to fabricate multi-qubit systems and devices. Novel device readouts of these qubit networks will be manufactured and characterized with potential for integration into conventional and practical photonic circuit architectures. An interdisciplinary team of investigators from chemistry, biological engineering, and electrical engineering will be assembled to pursue this transformative approach towards scalable quantum device fabrication, which will shift how qubit manufacturing can be implemented at scale. The research will enhance US competitiveness in this growing global technology field. Innovative curriculum development related to this research will be pursued at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including mentoring high school students, women, and underrepresented minorities.Optically-addressable qubits provide a generalizable platform for quantum information science. However, the lack of precise spatial distribution of nanovacancy color-centers into qubit-networks has hindered their translation towards scalable, low-cost device fabrication. Recent progress in chemically-tailorable organometallic spin qubit systems show promise as an alternative, whereby chemical synthesis affords bottom-up qubit design and portability across different environments. However, these organometallic qubits require dilution in a host-matrix co-crystal for solid state implementation, yielding distributed color-center environments and density across a matrix that prevents controlled, scalable qubit-networking. As an alternative, single-molecule addressability of highly programmable DNA assemblies programmed using the principle of DNA origami will be leveraged together with chemically-tailorable organometallic qubits to realize a scalable manufacturing platform for spatially controlled qubits. Distinct organometallic color-centers using these DNA-based scaffolds will enable the integration of qubits into higher-order spatial networks to fabricate multi-qubit systems and devices. 2D DNA architectures will be patterned with nanoscale position and orientation onto device surfaces using programmable shape matching of the DNA structure to lithographically-patterned semiconductor layers. Quantum sensing of biological analytes with addressable proximity to the qubits on a DNA platform will be prototyped.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.