NYU Tandon Breakthrough Paves Way for Advanced Quantum Computing Hardware
BROOKHAVEN, NY - A team led by researchers at NYU Tandon school of Engineering has pioneered a novel fabrication technique utilizing Ion Beam Etching (IBE) that promises to unlock the potential of new materials for superconducting quantum technologies. The advancement, validated through testing at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), considerably reduces energy loss in quantum resonators, a critical step toward building more stable and powerful quantum computers.
This development addresses a key bottleneck in quantum computing: the difficulty of manufacturing high-quality superconducting devices with minimal energy dissipation. Lower loss rates translate directly to improved qubit coherence and performance, enabling more complex calculations and accelerating the development of practical quantum applications. The research, supported by the Microelectronics commons through the Northeast Defense Technology Hub, represents a major stride in the “lab-to-fab” transition of cutting-edge quantum materials.
The team successfully fabricated and tested quantum resonators using the IBE-based approach at the Northeast Regional Defense Technology (NORDTECH) Hub facility. Subsequent evaluation by Booz Allen Hamilton contractors Christopher Nadeau and Man Nguyen at AFRL, at temperatures approaching absolute zero, confirmed the technique’s ability to produce low-loss quantum hardware.
“Loss is a critical measure of hardware quality,” highlighting the importance of minimizing energy dissipation in these delicate systems.
The research team included Deena Shahrjerdi, Robert LaHaye, and Pablo Manzo-Perez from NYU Tandon, alongside collaborators Alexander madden (Booz Allen Hamilton), Iliya Shiravand (NYU Tandon), Kim Kisslinger and Xiao Tong (Brookhaven National laboratory), Kasra Sardashti (University of Maryland), and michael Senatore (Air Force Research Laboratory). The work is being conducted under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (24-RI-CRADA-09) between NYU Tandon and AFRL Rome, and is funded through the Northeast Defense Technology Hub project, “Improved Materials for Superconducting Qubits with Scalable Fabrication.”