EAGER: Quantum Manufacturing: Supporting Future Quantum Applications by Developing a Robust, Scalable Process to Create Diamond Nitrogen-Vacancy Center Qubits

这一早期概念探索研究(EARGER)量子制造奖将支持创新研究，以展示一种新的方法，并揭示在用于量子比特实施的钻石中创建氮空位(NV)色心的新知识。量子信息应用，如量子计算、通信和传感，依赖于可复制和健壮的量子比特或量子比特的实现。许多材料和系统已被确定为创建量子比特，但钻石特别令人感兴趣，因为它的NV中心非常稳定，并提供相对较长的室温相干时间。然而，在钻石等宽禁带半导体中创造色心是具有挑战性的。这些材料中的量子比特制造主要基于传统的微电子制造技术。虽然这些方法为基于钻石的量子比特系统的研究提供了基础，但传统的微电子处理技术并不适合颜色中心的制造。为了改变这一点，这项研究将利用一种坚固和可扩展的钻石生长技术，结合碳纳米管电子束照射来制造缺陷。虽然钻石中的NV中心已被证明是实现量子比特的有效手段，但目前的制造工艺仍然具有挑战性。大多数实现依赖于使用离子注入和退火法产生的有效量子比特的后处理识别。具体的制造挑战涉及平衡缺陷中心产生与钻石缺陷和应变引入的困难、NV中心的空间位置的控制以及大面积钻石晶片的缩放工艺的困难。新工艺依赖于大面积钻石原型晶片的合成和碳纳米管束阵列的使用，从而能够通过场发射和电子轰击来控制NV中心的引入。这一新方法能够更好地控制创建NV中心所需的能量，允许在量子比特创建和缺陷产生之间进行权衡，并在控制量子比特的空间定位方面取得重大进展。这项研究的结果将使美国经济和社会受益。量子信息系统将显著提升安全、通信、生物医学传感和计算技术。这项研究涉及多个学科，包括制造、材料科学和电气工程。多学科方法将有助于扩大未被充分代表的群体在研究中的参与，并将对工程教育产生积极影响。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。

This EArly-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) Quantum Manufacturing award will support innovative research to demonstrate a new approach and reveal new knowledge on the creation of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in diamond for quantum bit implementation. Quantum information applications, such as quantum computing, communications, and sensing, rely on the implementation of reproducible and robust quantum bits, or qubits. Numerous materials and systems have been identified to create qubits, but diamond is of particular interest because its NV centers are very stable and provide relatively long room temperature coherence times. However, the creation of color centers in wide -bandgap semiconductors, such as diamond, is challenging. Qubit fabrication in these materials has been primarily based on conventional microelectronics manufacturing techniques. While these approaches have provided a basis for diamond-based qubit system studies, conventional microelectronic processing techniques are not optimal for color center manufacturing. To change this, the research will utilize a robust and scalable diamond growth technique coupled with carbon nanotube electron beam irradiation to create the defects. While NV centers in diamond have been shown to be efficacious for qubit realization, current manufacturing processes remain challenging. Most implementations rely on the post- processing identification of effective qubits created using ion implantation and annealing. Specific manufacturing challenges relate to the difficulties in balancing defect center creation and diamond defect and strain introduction, control of the spatial location of NV centers, and the difficulty in scaling processes to large-area diamond wafers. The new process rests on the synthesis of large-area diamond prototype wafers and the use of arrays of carbon-nanotube bundles enabling the controlled introduction of NV centers using field emission and electron bombardment. This new approach enables more control of the energy required to create NV centers allowing the trade-off of qubit creation and defect production, as well as significant advances in the control of spatial positioning of qubits. The results from this research will benefit the US economy and society. Quantum information systems will significantly enhance technologies for security, communications, biomedical sensing, and computing. This research involves several disciplines including manufacturing, materials science, and electrical engineering. The multi-disciplinary approach will help broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in research and will positively impact engineering education.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.