1. Cryo-phase-change memory – phase-change memory technology is a mature technology, particularly for binary memory applications, that has led to commercial products. Its use for in-memory and neuromorphic computing, i.e. to act as weights/synapses is well developed in a laboratory setting. However, extending its operation to cryogenic temperatures as planned in the present project is completely novel, and the development of cryogenic a new phase-change memory material and devices is identified as a potentially exploitable outcome of the project. So far, the theoretical considerations are promising and the fabrication of the new phase change material is underway. Furthermore, following an extensive literature review, we have found no indication of competing work. That said, the exploitation potential as well as the impact of this development highly depends on the actual performance of phase change memory devices based on the new material platform. Once measurements indicate promising cryo-phase changes in memory properties, we believe that there would be ample room for filing patent(s) and for subsequent exploitation.
2. Innovative superconducting nanostructures with integrated joule heaters were implemented and tested. The performance outmatches state-of-the-art devices to the best of our knowledge achieving 2 ns switching speed and ~500 attojoule switching power. In addition, and for the first time, we have used our new superconducting joule switches (SJS) to create full binary logic gates such as NOT, AND, OR, NAND, and NOR with power consumptions in the femto-joule regiemes. This latter achievement, paves the way for implementation of arbitrary SJS logics with unprecedented performance and, unlike competing technologies such as RSFQ (rapid single flux quantum), straightforward scalability. The improved switches were found to be not patentable, but we were able to find a new design allowing for reconfigurable logic, and a patent application was submitted to protect the IP.
3. Single-photon imagers based on 2D arrays of SNSPDs – Fast and efficient detection in the VIS-NIR range was demonstrated for fiber-coupled SNSPDs. We aim to extend SNSPD-based detection to large arrays and free-space coupling for quantum applications, imaging and free-space communications. There are already reports on 2D arrays of SNSPDs in the literature. SQ plans to maintain the details of the imager under development as a trade secret and use the internal infrastructure of the company to market them within an existing customer base one they reach a satisfactory level of maturity.
