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

这项探索性研究（EAGER）量子制造奖的早期概念资助将支持创新研究，以展示一种新方法，并揭示关于在量子比特实现中创建金刚石氮空位（NV）色中心的新知识。量子信息应用，如量子计算、通信和传感，依赖于可重复和健壮的量子比特或量子位的实现。已经确定了许多材料和系统来创建量子位，但金刚石特别令人感兴趣，因为它的NV中心非常稳定，并且提供相对较长的室温相干时间。然而，在宽禁带半导体（如钻石）中创建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研究提供了基础，但传统的微电子处理技术并不是色中心制造的最佳选择。为了改变这一点，该研究将利用一种强大的、可扩展的金刚石生长技术，结合碳纳米管电子束辐照来制造缺陷。虽然金刚石中的NV中心已被证明对量子比特的实现是有效的，但目前的制造工艺仍然具有挑战性。大多数实现依赖于离子注入和退火产生的有效量子位的后处理识别。具体的制造挑战涉及平衡缺陷中心产生和金刚石缺陷和应变引入的困难，控制NV中心的空间位置，以及将工艺缩放到大面积金刚石晶圆的困难。新工艺基于大面积金刚石原型晶圆的合成和碳纳米管束阵列的使用，可以通过场发射和电子轰击来控制NV中心的引入。这种新方法可以更好地控制创建NV中心所需的能量，从而权衡量子位的创建和缺陷的产生，并在控制量子位的空间定位方面取得重大进展。这项研究的结果将有利于美国的经济和社会。量子信息系统将显著增强安全、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代表性不足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。

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.