다이아몬드가 양자 컴퓨팅을 위한 향상된 큐비트를 열 수 있을까?

다이아몬드를 양자 컴퓨팅에 활용하기

Contrary to normal computers using bits (0 & 1), quantum computers use “qubits”. Qubits can exist in multiple states simultaneously thanks to two quantum properties: 중첩 and 얽힘.

• 중첩 allows qubits to represent both 0 and 1 at the same time, exponentially increasing the data that can be processed compared to classical bits.
• 얽힘 links qubits in such a way that the state of one qubit can instantaneously affect another, even across great distances.

이러한 특성은 QPU가 매우 복잡한 문제를 해결하도록 합니다 much faster than classical computers by exploring multiple solutions simultaneously.

“큐비트의 장점은 일반 비트보다 훨씬 더 많은 정보를 담을 수 있다는 점입니다. 이는 큐비트가 주변 환경에 대한 정보를 더 많이 제공할 수 있음을 의미하며, 예를 들어 센서로서 매우 가치가 높습니다.”

Alastair Stacey- Managing principal research physicist and head of quantum materials and devices at PPPL.

However, qubits are extremely fragile, and measuring their properties is not an easy task.

So what if we instead counted on one of the hardest materials on earth – diamond – to perform tasks in our most advanced computer? This is the vision of researchers at Princeton University, who published recently in Diamond And Related Materials, under the title “저온 CVD에서 CH₃ 라디칼 및 C₂H₂ 분자의 효과: 표면 반응의 양자 화학 모델 및 다이아몬드 성장의 동역학 모델¹”.

This joins the works of other researchers at the University of Melbourne and Princeton University, published under the title “다이아몬드의 색상 중심을 보존하는 수소 종결 방법².”

요구에 맞는 다이아몬드 성장

Diamonds, historically only a natural stone, are mostly manufactured from raw carbon these days. However, this process requires very intense heat and pressure, so it cannot be combined with other materials like silicon used in computer chips. For this, low-temperature diamond manufacturing is needed.

Some methods have already been explored, like using acetylene and a technique called “plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition”.

출처: PPPL

The problem with it is that while it can grow microscopic diamonds, it also deposits a lot of soot, which can grow on top of the diamond and inhibit performance for optics, sensors, and chips. Until now it was not clear why the soot formed instead of diamonds.

골디락스 온도와 수소

The researchers found that there is a precise temperature at which the process creates a diamond. Above this critical temperature, acetylene contributes mostly to diamond growth. Below this critical temperature, it contributes mostly to soot growth.

출처: Diamond And Related Materials

Another factor is the activity of hydrogen atoms near the surface of the diamond. With more hydrogen near the surface, more diamonds can form, even at lower temperatures.

“수소 원자는 다이아몬드 성장을 직접적으로 촉진하지 않지만, 메탄을 아세틸렌으로 변환하고 원자 수소를 다이아몬드 성장 표면으로 운반하는 데 필수적인 수소 해리(분해)가 중요합니다. 이 두 과정 모두 다이아몬드 성장에 필수적입니다.”

Alexander Khrabry – Princeton University Research Scholar

Together, these insights in diamond formation open the way for reliably creating microscopic diamonds directly inside silicon semiconductors without damaging the rest of the material with high temperatures or creating unwanted soot.

양자 다이아몬드

Simple diamonds made only on carbons could have some applications in optics and sensors. But more advanced forms of diamonds could be even more useful.

For example, quantum diamonds are made when some of the carbon atoms forming the diamond are replaced by other atoms, like for example nitrogen, and some other carbon atoms are just removed. This creates a so-called nitrogen-vacancy (NV).

In such a diamond, the electrons inside start to follow quantum rules instead of classic physics, which could be used to build qubits.

“이 물질의 전자는 무거운 입자들이 따르는 고전 물리학 법칙대로 행동하지 않습니다. 대신 모든 전자와 마찬가지로 양자 물리학 법칙에 따라 행동합니다.”

Alastair Stacey- Managing principal research physicist and head of quantum materials and devices at PPPL.

다이아몬드 요리법 완성하기

Until now, the method of using plasma to create diamonds has been far from precise. It was using a lot of trial and error, as the theory of what exactly happens at the surface of the diamond is not well understood.

Ideally, plasma could also be used to add a mono-atomic layer of hydrogen on top of the diamond. But in the case of quantum diamonds, the high temperature would destroy the nitrogen-vacancy.

So the researchers built an elaborate analytical system (using photoluminescence spectroscopy) to judge what works best for creating a hydrogen layer on NV diamonds.

출처: Advanced Materials Interface

They found that 2 new methods could be used, although each with its own drawbacks for now.

출처: Advanced Materials Interface

• 형성 가스 어닐링, which uses a mixture of hydrogen molecules and nitrogen gas, worked but required very pure hydrogen gas without any oxygen, something difficult to achieve at low temperatures.
• 냉플라즈마 종결, which uses hydrogen plasma indirectly, did not damage the NV center and was easier to implement, but created a lower quality of hydrogen layer on the diamond.

“이는 향후 응용에서 표면 품질과 NV 특성 사이의 균형을 맞춰야 함을 강조합니다. 예를 들어, 생체분자 감지 프로젝트에서는 NV가 표면에 가깝게 보존되는 것이 절대적으로 중요합니다.”

Daniel McCloskey – Researcher at the University of Melbourne. 

Overall, these discoveries open the way to a few new, previously hard or impossible applications for diamonds:

• 실리콘 반도체 위에 직접 생산하여 다이아몬드를 회로, 센서 및 트랜지스터에 직접 통합합니다.
• 양자 다이아몬드를 기능성 큐비트로 생산하며, 다이아몬드 표면에 정밀하게 조정된 수소층을 포함합니다.

새로운 양자 컴퓨터

Quantum computers have so far been built out of known methods stemming from the traditional manufacturing tactics used by the semiconductor industry. But with quantum technology so different from normal computing, it makes sense that new materials are likely a better fit than traditional silicon.

This can include diamonds, for one day allowing quantum computing to be performed at room temperature, something that would not only decrease costs drastically but also help in creating larger quantum computers.

“50개 이상의 큐비트를 가진 양자 시뮬레이터와 실온 양자 컴퓨터를 만드는 것은 100개 또는 1000개와 같은 더 많은 큐비트로 확장할 수 있는 문을 열어주며, 이는 암호학, AI, 재료 과학 등 분야에 혁신을 가져올 것입니다.”

이 능력은 과학자들이 생명을 구하는 약물을 더 빠르게 발견하고, 어려운 최적화 문제를 해결하며, 에너지 절감 기술을 보다 효율적으로 개발하도록 도울 수 있습니다.

Martin Koppenhöfer – Project coordinator at SPINUS

Besides diamonds, other new innovative materials like for example 알루미늄 나이트라이드로 만든 압전 나노기계 공명기도 양자 센서 또는 양자 트랜스듀서에 활용될 수 있습니다.

Overall, it is likely that advanced new materials will be a solid alternative to silicon and push the promise of quantum computing much further than we could guess today.

양자 컴퓨팅에 투자하기

Quantum computing is only getting started but has already caught the attention of every large computing firm that has powered the silicon revolution so far.

It might forever be limited to niche applications more than take place in our computers, but it could still become instrumental in the modelization of physics, biology, material sciences, cryptography, and military applications.

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양자 컴퓨팅 기업

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM ) (IBM) was the leading force behind the commercialization of the first mainframe computer.

However, it has recently fallen behind in the production volume of other tech giants like Apple (AAPL ), TSMC (TSM ), and NVIDIA (NVDA )

It is, however, at the forefront of the development of quantum computers. For example, it developed its 127-qubit “Eagle” quantum computer, which was followed by a 433-qubit system known as “Osprey.”

And this is now followed by “Condor”, a 1,121 superconducting qubit quantum processor based on cross-resonance gate technology, together with “Heron”, a quantum processor at the very edge of the field.

Quantum computers could benefit from improved magnetic control, enhancing qubit stability and reliability, which are essential for processing power.

Similarly, advancements in superconductors, which rely on controlled magnetic fields, could lead to more efficient energy transmission and cooling systems, particularly at higher temperatures.

IBM is involved in most of the other cutting-edge innovations in computing and the semiconductors industry. These include conducting organic materials, neuromorphic computing, photonic devices, etc.

To some extent, IBM has become a “patent company” with expertise in developing new computing methods and licensing them to the industry.

So far, it seems very determined to hold as many key patents in all the non-silicon computing methods it can get, replicating its past success when contributing massively to developing the semiconductor industry into the giant it is today.

연구 참고:

^{1. Barsukov, Y., Kaganovich, I. D., Mokrov, M., & Khrabry, A. (2024). 저온 CVD에서 CH₃ 라디칼 및 C₂H₂ 분자의 효과: 표면 반응의 양자 화학 모델 및 다이아몬드 성장의 동역학 모델. 다이아몬드 및 관련 재료, 149, 111577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diamond.2024.111577}

^{2. McCloskey, D. J., Stacey, A., de Leon, N. P., & Kaganovich, I. D. (2024). 다이아몬드의 색상 중심을 보존하는 수소 종결 방법. 첨단 재료 인터페이스, 11(24), 202400242. https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202400242}