Materials challenges and opportunities for quantum computing hardware

Nathalie P de Leon; Kohei M Itoh; Dohun Kim; Karan K Mehta; Tracy E Northup; Hanhee Paik; B S Palmer; N Samarth; Sorawis Sangtawesin; D W Steuerman

doi:10.1126/science.abb2823

Materials challenges and opportunities for quantum computing hardware

Science. 2021 Apr 16;372(6539):eabb2823. doi: 10.1126/science.abb2823.

Authors

Nathalie P de Leon¹, Kohei M Itoh², Dohun Kim³, Karan K Mehta⁴, Tracy E Northup⁵, Hanhee Paik⁶, B S Palmer^{7

8}, N Samarth⁹, Sorawis Sangtawesin¹⁰, D W Steuerman¹¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
² School of Fundamental Science and Technology, Keio University, Yokohama 223-8522, Japan.
³ Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute of Applied Physics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
⁴ Department of Physics, Institute for Quantum Electronics, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
⁵ Institut für Experimentalphysik, Universität Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
⁶ IBM Quantum, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA. hanhee.paik@us.ibm.com.
⁷ Laboratory for Physical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20740, USA.
⁸ Quantum Materials Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
⁹ Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
¹⁰ School of Physics and Center of Excellence in Advanced Functional Materials, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima 30000, Thailand.
¹¹ Kavli Foundation, 5715 Mesmer Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90230, USA.

PMID: 33859004
DOI: 10.1126/science.abb2823

Abstract

Quantum computing hardware technologies have advanced during the past two decades, with the goal of building systems that can solve problems that are intractable on classical computers. The ability to realize large-scale systems depends on major advances in materials science, materials engineering, and new fabrication techniques. We identify key materials challenges that currently limit progress in five quantum computing hardware platforms, propose how to tackle these problems, and discuss some new areas for exploration. Addressing these materials challenges will require scientists and engineers to work together to create new, interdisciplinary approaches beyond the current boundaries of the quantum computing field.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.