This technology can create a controlled large-scale atomic counting mode so that their quantum states can be manipulated, coupled and read.
Quantum computers can use the team led by the University of Melbourne to improve the new technology, embed a single atom in the silicon wafer, and mirror the traditional devices one by one, which is summarized in the advanced materials paper.
Developed by Professor David Jamieson and co-authors from New South Wales, Sydney, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering (IOM) and RMIT, this new technology can create large-scale controlled counting atomic modes so that their quantum states can be manipulated, coupled and read out.
Professor Jamieson, the main author of the paper, said that his team's vision is to use this technology to build a very, very large-scale quantum device.
Professor Jemison said: "We believe that by using our method and the perfect manufacturing technology in the semiconductor industry, we can finally manufacture large machines based on single-atom qubits."
This technology takes advantage of the accuracy of atomic force microscope, which has a sharp cantilever and responds to the force field above the chip surface. The positioning accuracy is only half a nanometer, which is roughly the same as the atomic spacing in silicon crystal.
The research team drilled a small hole in the cantilever, so that when it was submerged by phosphorus atoms, people occasionally fell into the hole and embedded in the silicon matrix.
The key is to know exactly when an atom-no more than one-is embedded in the substrate. The cantilever can then be moved to the next precise position on the array.
The research team found that the kinetic energy when atoms drill into silicon crystals and dissipate energy through friction can be used to create tiny electron "clicks".
Professor Jamieson said that when each atom falls into one of the 65,438+00,000 sites in the prototype device, the team can "hear" the electronic click.
Professor Jemison said: "An atom colliding with a piece of silicon will produce a very weak click, but we have invented a very sensitive electronic product to detect this click, which is greatly amplified and sends out a loud signal, a loud and reliable signal."
"This gives us confidence in our own methods. We can say, "Oh, there's a click. An atom has just arrived. Now we can move the cantilever to the next position and wait for the next atom. "
So far, implanting atoms in silicon is a random process. Silicon wafers will be bathed in phosphorus, which will be implanted in a random pattern, just like raindrops on a window.
Andrea Morello, a co-author and professor of science at the University of New South Wales, said that this new technology embeds phosphorus ions in a silicon substrate, accurately counts each ion, and forms a qubit "chip", which can then be used in laboratory experiments to test the design of large-scale equipment.
Professor Moreiro said: "This will enable us to design quantum logic operations between large arrays of single atoms, while maintaining highly accurate operations throughout the processor."
"Now, instead of implanting many atoms in random positions and choosing the best atoms, they are placed in an ordered array, similar to transistors in traditional semiconductor computer chips."
The first author, Dr. Melvin Jacobs of the University of Melbourne, said that the cooperation used highly specialized equipment.
Dr. Jacob said: "We used advanced technology developed for sensitive X-ray detectors, a special atomic force microscope originally developed for Rosetta space mission, and a comprehensive computer model of ion trajectories implanted in silicon developed in cooperation with our colleagues in Germany."
"Together with our main partners, we have made a breakthrough in the production of monoatomic qubits with this technology, but this new discovery will accelerate our work on large-scale equipment."
The practical effects of quantum computer include new methods to optimize schedule and finance, unbreakable cryptography and computational drug design, and possible rapid development of vaccines.
Co-authors of this report are from the University of New South Wales, the University of Sydney, Helmholtz-Zontram University, Dresden-Rosendorf University (HZDR), Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering (IOM) and the microscope and microscope analysis facilities of the Polytechnic University of Rome.
The project was funded by the Australian Research Council's Center of Excellence for Quantum Computing and Communication Technology, the US Army Research Office and the Research and Infrastructure Fund of the University of Melbourne, and used the Australian National Manufacturing Facility of the Melbourne Nano Manufacturing Center.