Silicon based quantum computer chip developer Diraq has announced the development of a record control accuracy of 99.9 percent for a quantum bit (qubit) manufactured utilising industry standard silicon wafers.
The chip was manufactured by the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre in Belgium, a leading digital technologies R&D centre.
Diraq also announced that GlobalFoundries, one of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturers, would make a chip this year that combines both quantum and classical processors.
These chips will monolithically integrate silicon qubit devices with standard transistors, a powerful combination that will be important to push qubit numbers on a chip to the million mark and beyond.
Meanwhile according Diraq, by confirming 99.9 percent single qubit control fidelity, the company had reached the level of precision required for powerful, full-scale, error-corrected quantum computer processors manufactured by existing silicon chip foundries.
The CEO and Founder of Diraq Andrew Dzurak said: “The record demonstration was achieved using a qubit device manufactured by imec – Diraq is very excited to be working with imec.
“This relationship is crucial for Diraq’s technology roadmap, through which we intend to achieve a fully error-corrected quantum computing system ahead of our competitors.”
The development is the highest single qubit fidelity demonstrated to date for a silicon spin qubit made in a 300mm foundry environment using standard CMOS materials and processes.
Qubits are the quantum equivalent of a bit in standard computing – however quantum computer chips further miniaturise computer chips, storing information at a sub-atomic level.
The highly precise measurement of qubit fidelity in the device was made possible by the sophisticated qubit control and measurement techniques for silicon qubits that Diraq has developed over the past decade.
Quantum Design and Measurement Engineer at Diraq Nard Dumoulin Stuyck said: “It is absolutely thrilling to see the prototype 300mm qubits perform so well.
“I know from first-hand experience what incredible talent is present at both Diraq and imec and anticipate tremendous progress from this powerful connection between these two organizations.”
Diraq is developing qubits that can be integrated with the standard CMOS transistors that underpin today’s IT industry and are now manufactured in their billions on the silicon chips that power mobile devices and cloud computing infrastructure.
Picture: supplied by Diraq