Solving the cooling problem for D-Wave Systems

量子计算设备的全球领导者和先驱是加拿大公司D-Wave，位于 不列颠哥伦比亚省的伯纳比。尽管电子技术的显著进步使D-Wave能够利用 用于计算的量子力学，量子计算特有的众多工程挑战 硬件留了下来。特别是，量子计算所需的低温温度是通过使用 使用HE3和HE4同位素热力学循环的冰箱。这些冰箱价格昂贵。 获取和运营，并对量子硬件的更广泛使用构成挑战。D-Wave已经优化了这些 冰箱满足其需求--尤其是故障之间的运行时间需要大量维护--但 需要低温制冷的范式转变，以解决D-Wave的特定低温冷却挑战 强健的方式。 我们建议设计一种创新的低温热电制冷器，以解决D-Wave的问题 在他们的产品中保持接近绝对零度的温度，并展示这种冷却器的一个阶段。 我们的建议是与D-Wave进行广泛磋商的结果，包括对D-Wave设施的实地考察。 我们将开发一种满足D波的低温热电制冷系统的工程设计 D-Wave的具体需求，我们将开发一个功能原型。A的工程优势 与传统的氦制冷机相比，热电系统具有操作和控制简单、 直接在芯片上进行单片集成的潜力，以及重要的能源效率。关键工程 要克服的挑战包括解决材料兼容性问题，保持低材料成本，以及 达到所需的冷却功率。这个短短6个月的项目的成功实施预计将导致 进一步合作以进一步推进低温热电技术，但也将导致纳入 将低温热电材料转化为D-Wave的未来产品。

The global leader and pioneer in quantum computing equipment is the Canadian company D-Wave, located in Burnaby, British Columbia. Despite the remarkable advances in electronics that permit D-Wave to harness quantum mechanics for computation, numerous engineering challenges specific to quantum computing hardware remain. In particular, the cryogenic temperatures required for quantum computation is reached by use of refrigerators employing thermodynamic cycles of He3 and He4 isotopes. These refrigerators are costly to acquire and operate, and pose a challenge to wider use of quantum hardware. D-Wave has optimized these refrigerators to their needs - particularly the run time between failures requiring extensive maintenance - but a paradigm shift in cryo-refrigeration is required to address D-Wave's specific cryo-cooling challenges in a more robust way. We propose here to design an innovative cryogenic thermoelectric cooler to address D-Wave's problems with maintaining near absolute zero temperatures in their products, and to demonstrate one stage of such a cooler. Our proposal is the result of extensive consultation with D-Wave, including a site visit to D-Wave facilities. We will develop an engineering design of a cryogenic thermoelectric cooling system for D-Wave that meets D-Wave's specific needs, and we will develop a functional prototype. The engineering advantages of a thermoelectric system over a conventional helium refrigerator are the simplicity of operation and control, the potential for monolithic integration directly on-chip, and importantly, energy efficiency. The key engineering challenges to overcome include resolving material compatibility issues, keeping material costs low, and reaching the required cooling power. Successful execution of this short 6-month project is anticipated to lead to further collaboration to further advance cryogenic thermoelectics, but will also result in the incorporation of cryogenic thermoelectrics into D-Wave's future products.