
Address many quantum dots using a chessboard-like method
Researchers from Delft established a way to address many quantum dots with only a few control lines using a chessboard-like method
Quantum dots can be used to hold qubits, the building blocks of a quantum computer. Currently, each qubit requires its own addressing line and dedicated control electronics. This is highly unpractical and in stark contrast with today’s computer technology, where billions of transistors are operated with a couple of thousand lines.
Researchers at QuTech—a collaboration between the TU Delft and TNO—have developed a similar method for addressing quantum dots. Just like the locations of chess pieces are addressed using a combination of letters (A to H) and numbers (1 to 8), their quantum dots can be addressed using a combination of horizontal and vertical lines. Any point on a chessboard can be defined and addressed by using a specific combination of a letter and a number. Their approach takes the state-of-the-art to the next level and enables the operation of a 16 quantum dot system in a 4×4 array.
First author Francesco Borsoi explains: “This new way of addressing quantum dots is advantageous for scaling up to many qubits. If a single qubit is controlled and read out using a single wire, millions of qubits will require millions of control lines. This approach does not scale very well. However, if qubits can be controlled using our chessboard-like system, millions of qubits could be addressed using ‘only’ thousands of lines, corresponding to a ratio very similar to those in computer chips. This reduction in lines gives prospects to scale the number of qubits and represents a breakthrough for quantum computers, that eventually will require millions of qubits.”
Find more on the research here
