Imec Unveils World’s First Quantum Dot Qubit Device

imec unveils first quantum dot qubit device using High-NA EUV lithography.

The Belgian Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (imec) has unveiled the world’s first quantum dot qubit device. It is manufactured using High-NA EUV lithography.

The main achievement lies not only in the production itself but also in the printing density: critical elements were manufactured with gaps of about 6 nm. This is crucial for such qubits, as the coupling strength between neighboring quantum dots increases exponentially as the distance between them decreases.

Imec stated that the introduction of High-NA EUV allows the transition from laboratory demonstrations of individual devices to reproducible qubits compatible with 300 mm wafers.

The centre had previously identified the full transition to a 300 mm process and the use of a more scalable quantum dot architecture as key conditions for scaling, which should alleviate the bottleneck issue of conductors.

The industry requires not only high-quality but also scalable qubits. Imec believes that electron spin qubits in silicon quantum dots are particularly interesting due to their potential to improve qubit characteristics while simultaneously enhancing production scalability.

Imec reported that EUV lithography provides higher layer alignment accuracy in chip production compared to E-beam tools. For silicon qubits, this is critical, as system stability depends not only on the minimum size of elements but also on the precise placement of control electrodes, contacts, and metallization relative to each other.

Imec also emphasized that High-NA EUV remains an extremely rare technology.

In May, IBM Quantum’s Global Sales Director Petra Florisun announced the transition of quantum computing from laboratory experiments to real-world applications.