International exchange award: Improving innovation in quantum bit development and characterisation

Andres Rojano, Research Associate at Lancaster University, was awarded an M4QN international exchange grant for him and colleagues from the University of Manchester to visit Flyura Djurabekova at the University of Helskinki in Finland. The visit took place from 20th-22nd November 2024.

The grant enabled discussions that paved the way for an integrated experimental and simulation approach to advance the quantum bit (qubit) fabrication process. During the visit, the travelling party consisting of Andres Rojano (Lancaster University), Maddison Coke, Mason Adshead, and Richard Curry (University of Manchester) engaged in productive discussions with researchers including but not limited to Flyura Djurabekova, Kai Nordlund, Tomas Fernandez Bouvier, and Ville Jantunen. These interactions created a collaborative atmosphere and established the foundation for future joint research efforts. The visitors were guided through the facilities at Helsinki, gaining insights into the advanced equipment available. The observed hardware included a positron emitter, ion implanters, physical vapor deposition systems, and atomic force microscopy machines. Detailed discussions explored the functionality and outputs of the infrastructure, as well as opportunities for collaboration with ongoing UK-based research. The visit allowed discussions regarding the current progress in experiments conducted by the University of Manchester and simulations carried out by Lancaster University and the University of Helsinki. The Manchester team presented their findings on isotopic enrichment of silicon through ion irradiation, including the effects of different charge states and ion implantation energies. Andres Rojano highlighted molecular dynamics (MD) simulation results of post-implantation surface regimes obtained at Lancaster University, which agree with experimental outcomes. Prof. Djurabekova’s group presented insights into donor implantation challenges, including maintaining thermal equilibrium and computational efficiency using atomistic simulations.

Benefits to the UK materials and quantum community

The visit established international collaborations to develop quantum computers and highlighted the advancements of UK research in quantum technologies. The visit aligns with the overall aims of the M4QN by advancing the understanding of materials critical to quantum technologies through the integration of experimental and simulation-based methods. In particular, the visit enabled knowledge exchange, highlighting the work of the groups and identifying opportunities to advance silicon enrichment and donor implantation processes, thereby contributing to the development of qubit fabrication. The engagement with Helsinki researchers paved the way for joint projects that combine the expertise of UK teams in ion irradiation and MD simulations with Finland’s leadership in particle-matter interaction modelling. This collaboration has the potential to optimise qubit fabrication processes via a better characterisation of samples, enhancing the competitiveness of UK research and positioning the UK as a global leader in quantum materials. Moreover, Prof. Richard Curry delivered a well-received presentation about qubits, which attracted considerable interest from the audience. This talk displayed advancements from UK institutions in qubit development. Afterwards, the travelling party engaged in meaningful discussions with the audience, leading to insightful questions, the identification of potential challenges, and valuable suggestions for enhancing ongoing research. These interactions highlighted the mutual interest in strengthening partnerships.

New collaboration

The collaboration established during this visit provided a strong foundation to support and develop new methodologies that will refine existing processes collaboratively and a deeper understanding of materials critical for qubit technologies. Discussions during the visit focused on collaborations and publications integrating experimental data with atomistic simulations. It was agreed that Lancaster University would analyse post-implantation surface regimes at varying ion implantation energies, whilst the University of Helsinki would study the effects of different charge states of silicon-28 projectiles on isotopic enrichment. These findings will complement experimental results from the University of Manchester. An agreement was also made to send post-irradiated samples to Helsinki for advanced analysis, taking advantage of Finland’s expertise and state-of-the-art equipment to optimise characterisation methods. Moreover, longer research stays to address challenges in characterising irradiated isotopically enriched silicon wafers were proposed.