EAGER: Quantum Manufacturing: Developing a Deterministic, 3D Printer for Quantum Defects

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New devices based on quantum phenomena, like quantum computers and networks, require new reliable and scalable manufacturing methods with extreme precision. These devices are often comprised of discrete atoms or nanoscale structures that must be exactly placed into desired locations. Existing methods to create these devices are time-consuming, incompatible with many materials, lack atomic precision, and, most significantly, are unreliable. As a result, scalable device production, which requires interfacing networks of indistinguishable nanostructures, is difficult. This EArly-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) Quantum Manufacturing award supports fundamental research to develop a robust and scalable manufacturing approach to incorporate nanomaterials into devices with the atomic precision required for quantum technologies. The new process enables the deterministic printing of nanomaterials with desired qualities from solutions into precise locations with full orientation control. This approach separates material synthesis from device manufacturing to improve performance and enables quantum devices based on more precisely synthesized materials. These capabilities address manufacturing limitations for not only quantum devices, but also energy, communication, and medicine applications based on nanomaterials. Thus, advances from this award benefit both the U.S. economy and society by establishing manufacturing expertise in the emerging quantum technologies market, by securing national defense in a new generation of sensors and networks, and by advancing energy security (chemical catalysis and solar). The multi-disciplinary research project incorporates fluid mechanics, simulations, optics design, and materials science to provide unique training for graduate and undergraduate students. The core knowledge, simulation tools, and equipment designs will be disseminated so that the manufacturing approach can be broadly adopted to accelerate research and development in these critical fields.The successful production of quantum technologies requires incorporating high-quality qubits into 100 nm3 regions. Current manufacturing approaches are stochastic, restricted to materials that can be processed by lithography, and often lack this precision. This manufacturing method involves an approach whereby nanostructured qubits are synthesized, characterized, and printed via thermo-optic forces. Separating these processes lifts compatibility restrictions, enables deterministic manufacturing, and mitigates sources of decoherence. This project aims to achieve 100 nm3 printing by assessing critical variables identified by first-principles simulations. These include nanomaterial optical properties, such as their geometry and refractive index, and the colloidal environment and forces, such as solvent thermophysical parameters. These results will be incorporated into a physics-based model to optimize printing precision. Leveraging this method, the research team aims to develop structure-property relationships to establish how enhanced printing precision and material properties influence device behavior, including coherence.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.