Intel Labs and Component Research Organization have demonstrated the output and consistency of the industry's highest silicon spin qubit device reported to date, developed at the Intel transistor R&D facility in Gordon Moore Park, Ronler Acres, Hillsboro, Oregon. This achievement marks an important milestone in the scale and work of quantum chip in Intel transistor manufacturing process.
This study uses Intel's second-generation silicon spin-test chip. By testing the device using Intel cryoprober, a quantum dot test device that works at low temperatures (1.7 Kelvin or -271.45 degrees Celsius), the team separates 12 quantum dots and 4 sensors. This result represents the industry's largest silicon electronic spin device, with an electron at each location on the entire 300mm silicon wafer .
Today's silicon spin qubits are usually presented on one device, and Intel's research has proved success on the entire wafer . Chips made using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography showed significant uniformity, with a yield of 95% across the wafer. More than 900 single quantum dots and more than 400 double quantum dots at the last electron can be characterized in less than 24 hours at a temperature above absolute zero.
Compared with previous Intel test chips, the yield and uniformity of the device are improved under low temperature conditions, which allows Intel to use statistical process control to identify areas that need to be optimized during the manufacturing process. This accelerates learning and represents a critical step in the expansion of thousands or even millions of qubits required to commercial quantum computer .
In addition, cross-wafer production allows Intel to automate cross-wafer data collection in a single electronic state, making the largest single and double quantum dot demonstrations possible to date. Compared with Intel's previous test chips, both device yield and consistency are improved under low temperature conditions, representing a critical step in scaling up to the thousands or even millions of qubits required to commercialize quantum computers. "Intel continues to make progress in manufacturing silicon spin qubits using its own transistor manufacturing technology," said James Clarke, head of quantum hardware at Intel. "The high yield and uniformity obtained show that manufacturing quantum chips on Intel's established transistor process nodes is a reasonable strategy and a powerful indicator of the success of the technology's commercialization maturity. "In the future, we will continue to improve the quality of these devices and develop larger systems, and these steps will serve as a cornerstone to help us move forward quickly." ”
For further exploration, you can read Intel Labs’ research on quantum computing and other breakthroughs in thermal qubits, cryogenic chips, and its collaboration with QuTech.