FET: Small: Modeling, Simulation, and Design for Robustness and Performance in Semiconductor-Based Quantum Computing

量子计算有可能最终彻底改变计算技术，并影响许多研究领域以及日常生活，包括新材料的发现、新药的设计、金融建模、安全和密码学以及人工智能。在量子计算的各种硬件实现方法中，基于半导体的量子计算具有收获和利用半导体芯片行业庞大的基础设施和成功的优势，具有低成本和小尺寸的优点。然而，如何控制和精确地纠缠半导体自旋量子比特（qubit），并在它们之间传输量子信息，最终实现大规模的半导体量子计算机，仍然是一个重大的挑战。在该项目中，将开发新的仿真方法和计算机辅助设计（CAD）框架，以解决基于半导体的量子计算中的关键硬件设计挑战。模拟和设计工具将在网上开发和传播，以广泛支持半导体量子计算的教育和研究活动。通过开发新课程，吸引从高中到研究生的学生，该项目还有助于解决教育新一代量子劳动力的挑战。该项目旨在：(i)开发一个多尺度模拟框架，将3D技术CAD模拟集成到半导体量子门的物理模型中；（ii）为通过强耦合自旋光子接口介导的光子通道之间的半导体自旋量子比特之间的量子互连开发建模和仿真框架；（iii）模拟半导体量子门中的退相干机制，并开发最小化其影响的方法；（iv）模拟半导体量子门和电路中的可变性和缺陷机制及其相关性，并将从可变性和缺陷感知模拟中获得的见解转化为减轻可变性影响的技术。该项目将提高建模和仿真能力，并为设计基于半导体的量子计算硬件提供必要的知识基础，提高速度、保真度、集成密度和可靠性。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。

Quantum computing has the potential to eventually revolutionize computing technologies and impact many research fields as well as daily life, including discovery of new materials, design of new drugs, financial modeling, security and cryptography, and artificial intelligence. Among various approaches for hardware realization of quantum computing, semiconductor-based quantum computing has the advantage to harvest and leverage the vast infrastructure and success of the semiconductor chip industry, which promises low cost and small size. Significant challenges, however, remain to controllably and precisely entangle semiconductor spin quantum bits (qubits), transmit quantum information between them, and eventually realize a large-scale semiconductor quantum computer. In this project, new simulation methods and computer-aided design (CAD) frameworks will be developed to address key hardware design challenges in semiconductor-based quantum computing. Simulation and design tools will be developed and disseminated online to extensively support the education and research activities in semiconductor quantum computing. By developing new curriculum and engaging students from high school to graduate levels, the project also contributes to addressing the challenge of educating a new generation of quantum workforce.The project aims to: (i) develop a multiscale simulation framework that incorporates 3D technology CAD simulations into physics-based models for semiconductor quantum gates; (ii) develop a modeling and simulation framework for quantum interconnects between semiconductor spin qubits mediated by a photon channel via strongly coupled spin-photon interfaces; (iii) simulate decoherence mechanisms in semiconductor quantum gates and develop methods to minimize their impact; and (iv) model the variability and defect mechanisms and their correlations in semiconductor quantum gates and circuits, and translate insights gained from variability and defect-aware simulations to techniques for mitigating the variability effects. This project will advance modeling and simulation capabilities and develop an essential knowledge base for designing semiconductor-based quantum computing hardware with enhanced speed, fidelity, integration density, and reliability.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.