Quantum technology capital: QUES2T (Quantum Engineering of Solid-state Technologies)

在过去的50年里，固态电子设备改变了我们的生活：晶体管、集成电路和磁盘等设备的发展给我们带来了一场计算能力、便携式电子产品以及存储和处理海量数据的能力方面的革命。量子技术旨在利用量子物理的力量，在计算、传感和通信等领域带来进一步的革命。英国目前在开发量子科学研究方面进行了重大投资，以提供一系列量子技术-到目前为止，这笔投资主要集中在光子学、冷原子和囚禁离子的平台上。我们提议的量子固态技术工程(Quantum Engineering of Solid-State Technologies，简称QUES2T)旨在解决英国在量子固态技术方面的能力差距，并确保英国在一些最具影响力和可扩展的量子技术方面处于强大的竞争地位。在QUES2T中，我们专注于三个有可能产生重大商业影响的固态平台：i)硅纳米器件，ii)超导电路和iii)基于钻石的器件。这些材料中的每一种都表现出了卓越的性能：硅可以将量子信息存储到创纪录的3小时，超导电路已被用于制造迄今为止最复杂的量子设备，而基于钻石的磁强计具有在一秒内拍摄单个质子自旋的灵敏度。我们将利用这些特性来开发实用的量子技术。重要的是，我们不是孤立地考虑这些平台。QUES2T的一个关键优势和独特功能是，它不仅在这三个领域中的每一个领域提供必要的基础设施，而且还将拥有跨这些不同平台的专业知识的团队聚集在一起。这将允许通过转让专业知识和加速开发混合技术来交流不同学科的交叉受精，这些混合技术结合了不同材料的最佳性能，以制造新的探测器、存储器和处理器。QUES2T将允许英国研究人员及其合作者利用开发基于固态技术的新量子设备的优势，包括更容易与现有传统技术(如CMOS处理器)集成，并缩短上市和制造时间。QUES2T的资本基础设施将建立世界级的制造能力，用一系列材料制造高质量的量子设备原型。它还将使创建低温技术试验台来测试原型和开发技术演示成为可能。这些测试台将结合许多基本功能，使设备能够使用激光、微波脉冲、低噪声电测量和百分之一开尔文进行光学寻址。这样的系统将是英国独一无二的。为了实现我们的愿景，我们与学术界和工业界合作伙伴建立了牢固的联系，以交流最新的技术、专业知识和材料。例如，应用于快速高保真量子比特控制的超低相位噪声信号发生器，或者用于硅和钻石量子原型的同位素纯材料。将积极鼓励从事量子技术的行业用户访问QUES2T基础设施，例如最先进的100keV电子束写入器，以制造具有10 nm特征的设备。许多行业合作伙伴也将是通过QUES2T开发的技术的最终用户。早期的技术包括能够在单分子水平上进行磁共振成像的扫描探针设备，以及对电子进行逐个计数的量子电流标准。在更长的时间尺度上，一个容错和可扩展的基于硅或超导的量子处理器将形成一个新的颠覆性计算产业的基础。

Solid state electronic devices have transformed our lives over the past fifty years: the development of devices like the transistor, integrated circuits and magnetic hard disks have given us a revolution in computing power, portable electronics and the ability to store and handle vast amounts of data. Quantum technologies aim to harness the power of quantum physics to deliver a further revolution in areas such as computing, sensing and communication. The UK is currently making a major investment in the exploitation of quantum science research to deliver a range of quantum technologies - so far this investment has focused on platforms of photonics, cold atoms and trapped ions. The aim of our proposal, Quantum Engineering of Solid-State Technologies, or QUES2T, is to address the capability gap in in quantum solid-state technologies and ensure the UK is in a strong competitive position in some of the most high-impact and scalable quantum technologies. In QUES2T we focus on three solid-state platforms which are well-poised to make significant commercial impact: i) silicon nano-devices, ii) superconducting circuits and iii) diamond-based devices. Each of these materials have demonstrated outstanding properties: silicon can store quantum information for a record-breaking 3 hours, superconducting circuits have been used to make the most complex quantum devices to date, while diamond based magnetometer have a sensitivity to image individual proton spins in a second. We will exploit these properties to develop practical quantum technologies. Importantly, we do not consider these platforms in isolation. A key strength and unique feature of QUES2T is that it not only provides essential infrastructure in each of these three areas but that it brings together a team of people with expertise across these different platforms. This will allow exchange of cross-fertilisation of different disciplines through transfer of expertise and the accelerated development of hybrid technologies that combine the best properties of different materials, to make new detectors, memories, and processors. QUES2T will allow UK researchers and their collaborators to exploit the advantages of developing new quantum devices based on solid state technologies, including easier integration with existing conventional technologies (such as CMOS processors) and reduced timescales to market and manufacturing. The capital infrastructure of QUES2T will establish world-class fabrication capabilities to manufacture high-quality quantum device prototypes out of a range of materials. It will also enable the creation of low-temperature technology test-beds to test the prototypes and develop technology demonstrators. These test-beds will combine a number of essential features, enabling devices to be addressed optically using lasers, with microwave pulses, under low-noise electrical measurements, and all at a hundredth of a degree kelvin. Such systems will be unique UK.To deliver our vision, we have established strong links with academic and industrial partners to exchange the latest technology, expertise and materials. Examples are ultra low-phase noise signal generators with applications in fast high-fidelity qubit control or isotopically pure materials for quantum prototypes in Si and diamond. Industry users working on quantum technologies will be actively encouraged to access the QUES2T infrastructure, such as a state-of-the-art 100 keV electron beam writer to make devices with 10nm features. Many industry partners will also be end users of the technologies that will be developed through QUES2T. Early technologies include scanning probe devices enabling magnetic resonance imaging at the single molecule level and quantum current standards counting electrons one-by-one. On a longer timescale, a fault-tolerant and scalable Si or superconducting based quantum processor, would be form the basis of a new and disruptive industry in computing.