Researchers from the University of Melbourne and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have contributed to an international breakthrough that would allow for the cheap production of next-generation super-powerful quantum computers.<\/p>\n
The publication in the journal of Advanced Materials on Thursday showed a new method of embedding single atoms into silicon wafers to create extremely precise arrays of subatomic particles or \u201cqubits\u201d used in quantum computing.<\/p>\n
The current process of making quantum chips relied on randomly spraying atoms onto a wafer, which often leaves atoms unstable and prone to error.<\/p>\n
David Jamieson, Professor of Physics at the University of Melbourne and lead author on the paper, told Xinhua that this had turned a haphazard process into one with a high degree of accuracy.<\/p>\n
\u201cPrevious methods were exactly like rain falling on the chip. You get a different pattern of writing drops every time. It\u2019s not reproducible.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cOur method allows us to count and direct the phosphorus atoms one-by-one, into the specific locations where we want them,\u2019\u2019 said Jamieson.<\/p>\n
The team were able to adapt sensitive electronics to detect a click of an atom being embedded into the device, which allowed this one-by-one assembly of the device.<\/p>\n
He said this method would allow for the creation of large-scale, affordable, quantum processors, with millions or perhaps billions of atoms positioned in a stable, long-lasting array.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a big, big breakthrough. Our team has been working on phosphorus-based silicone processes for more than a decade.\u2019\u2019 he said<\/p>\n
Quantum computers, unlike classical computers that operate on binary of 1 or 0, take advantage of the variety of ways qubits react to one another.<\/p>\n
This essentially means quantum computers can run thousands or possibly millions of calculations simultaneously, rather than one at a time.<\/p>\n
The new methodology has the potential to revolutionise the application of quantum computers in fields including finance, cryptography, and even the rapid development of future vaccines.<\/p>\n
\u201cQuantum supercomputers will allow us to deal with problems that cannot be solved with even the most powerful classical supercomputer,\u2019\u2019 said Jamieson.<\/p>\n
He said the development of quantum computers would also likely open new windows into people\u2019s understanding of molecular structures and current understandings around the laws of physics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Researchers from the University of Melbourne and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have contributed to an international breakthrough that would allow for the cheap production of next-generation super-powerful quantum computers. The publication in the journal of Advanced Materials on Thursday showed a new method of embedding single atoms into silicon wafers to create […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":8819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[238],"tags":[2548,2550,2549],"class_list":["post-8810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-foreign","tag-quantum-computers","tag-university-of-melbourne","tag-university-of-new-south-wales"],"yoast_head":"\n