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Embracing the quantum limit in silicon computing

Nature volume 479, pages 345–353 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

Quantum computers hold the promise of massive performance enhancements across a range of applications, from cryptography and databases to revolutionary scientific simulation tools. Such computers would make use of the same quantum mechanical phenomena that pose limitations on the continued shrinking of conventional information processing devices. Many of the key requirements for quantum computing differ markedly from those of conventional computers. However, silicon, which plays a central part in conventional information processing, has many properties that make it a superb platform around which to build a quantum computer.

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Figure 1: Classical versus quantum information.
Figure 2: Fundamental building blocks of silicon-based qubits.
Figure 3: Information lifetimes for various spins in silicon.
Figure 4: Controlling and manipulating spins.
Figure 5: Spin read-out of quantum dots and donors.

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Acknowledgements

We thank A. M. Tyryshkin for discussions. J.J.L.M. is supported by the Royal Society and St John's College, Oxford, and acknowledges support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) through the Centre for Advanced Electron Spin Resonance (EP/D048559/1) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)-EPSRC Cooperative Program (EP/H025952/1). D.R.M. is supported by an Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship (DP1093526). M.A.E. acknowledges support from the Army Research Office (ARO) (W911NF-08-1-0482). S.A.L. acknowledges support from the National Security Agency/Laboratory of Physical Sciences through Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (MOD 713106A), the National Science Foundation through the Princeton Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (DMR-0819860) and the ARO through Wisconsin. We apologize to those authors whose work could not be cited owing to space limitations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PH, UK

    John J. L. Morton

  2. Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK

    John J. L. Morton

  3. School of Physics, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia

    Dane R. McCamey

  4. Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, 53706, Wisconsin, USA

    Mark A. Eriksson

  5. Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, 08544, New Jersey, USA

    Stephen A. Lyon

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Morton, J., McCamey, D., Eriksson, M. et al. Embracing the quantum limit in silicon computing. Nature 479, 345–353 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10681

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