Superconducting quantum devices and circuits

Date:09-06-2017   |   【Print】 【close

Superconducting quantum devices and circuits

     Superconducting devices and circuits have several unparalleled advantages over their semiconducting counterparts, such as extreme sensitivity, high operation speed, low loss and wide band. They play an increasingly important role in both basic and applied science research including astronomical observations, human health, natural resource explorations and many other fields in information and military technology. With the support of the advanced devices fabrication facility of the center for excellence in superconducting circuits (CENSE), Chinese academy of sciences, we are building a world-leading superconducting devices R&D platform dedicated to the development of superconducting detectors and sensors, superconducting digital circuits, superconducting Q-bits and other emerging superconducting electronic techniques.

 

     The main research activities include the following topics:

 

1.   General techniques for superconducting film growth and devices fabrication

We are developing general thin-film growth techniques and superconducting Josephson junction fabrication techniques. We aim to standardize these techniques to support the development of various superconducting electronic devices.

 

2.   Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID)

Our research involves device design, fabrication process and device characterization of low temperature DC/ RF SQUID, including nano-SQUID. We have developed high performance SQUID magnetometer and highly balanced planar magnetic gradiometer for sensitive magnetic flux measurement. We are developing nano-SQUID probes for single electron spin detection.

 

3.   Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPD)

Our mission is to develop high performance SNSPD devices and to understand photon detection and noise mechanism of this device. We are developing SNSPD detectors working in the optical and infra-red spectral region for several cutting-edge applications including secure quantum communication, laser scanning and coincidence imaging.

 

4.   Superconducting transition edge sensors (TES)

We aim to develop advanced TES detectors and SQUID-based multiplexing circuits for applications that require extremely high sensitivity such as the search for primordial gravitational wave and the development of X-ray spectrometer with high energy resolution and high sampling efficiency.

 

5.   Superconducting large scale integrated circuits

Our mission is to develop key enabling technologies for Nb and/or NbN based superconducting large scale integrated circuits including design infrastructure, fabrication process, measurement apparatus and system integration. With these technologies, we wish to demonstrate single-flux-quantum (SFQ) based low-power, ultra-high speed superconducting integrated circuits targeted for future applications including high performance digital computing, quantum adiabatic computing, high-speed digital-analog converter and low-temperature digital readout.

The superconducting quantum devices and circuits department have 8 permanent research staff (3 full professors, 4 associated professors and 1 engineers), including one selected into the one Hundred-Talent program of Chinese academy of sciences and one selected into the recruitment program of global experts (known as “the Thousand Talents Plan”). There are approximately 20 temporary research staff and graduated students working in the department.

 

 

 

Nano SQUID devices