Portable Ion Devices for Mobile-Oriented Next-generation semiconductor Technologies

Project Information

PIEDMONS

Grant agreement ID: 801285

DOI

10.3030/801285

Project closed

EC signature date 23 April 2018

Start date 1 July 2018

End date 31 December 2021

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)

Total cost

€ 2 466 245,00

EU contribution

€ 2 466 245,00

Coordinated by

INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRIA AG
Austria

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - PIEDMONS (Portable Ion Devices for Mobile-Oriented Next-generation semiconductor Technologies)

Reporting period: 2019-07-01 to 2021-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The PIEDMONS project aims at breakthrough research to establish and characterize a reliable ion-trap production chain supporting the following applications:
• atomic clocks,
• quantum computers,
• multi-level security.

In general the PIEDMONS project aims to manage the transition and the fusion between current technologies and the forthcoming 2nd generation quantum systems. The perspective is the implementation of solutions on commercial micro/nano electronic devices in the next decade.

As specific objectives, the scientific objectives were described in more detail (see below).

More specifically the PIEDMONS project, while targeting applications in transport as a primary market and technology driver, aims at reaching the following specific objectives throughout the activities that will be performed:

OBJ1. Conceive high accuracy localization systems upon degraded satellite coverage by means of experimental proof of concepts of ion-traps based on CMOS-compatible MEMS fabrication process;
OBJ2. Formulate concepts of quantum secured E/E architecture
OBJ3. Implement the first commercial production chain for ion-traps supporting a widespread access for research and application on second generation quantum systems

With Infineon Technologies, a world leader in semiconductors, and two leading edge Universities in the field of Quantum computing (University of Innsbruck and ETH Zurich), the PIEDMONS project made a big step towards the first commercial production chain for ion-traps. The results gained within the project, are the baseline for further research projects to improve and force these challenges and to strengthen the European leadership in a sector that is expected to be strategical over the forthcoming decades.
Thanks to the experience of the high-tech SME (I-FEVS), it was possible to formulate concepts of quantum secured E/E-architecture on board the vehicles, which simplifies HW, SW and overall set-up and maintenance. To avoid cyber security in case of urban mobility, QKD systems were successfully implemented for secure communication.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The realization of the 3D MEMS ion trap concept proceeded and several fabrication-related challenges had to be overcome. The fabrication chain of an 3D ion trap contains approximately 200 processing operations and 50 measurement steps for process control in order to guarantee high quality and reproducibility. A key to reliable ion trap operation is the waferbond process, which had to be heavily modified in order to provide reliable Si/glass interface bonds. The fabrication and characterisation of the 3D MEMS trap, yielded promising preliminary results and support room-temperature operation. The design of integrated electronic components that can be operated at cryogenic temperatures was finalised. First precision spectroscopy measurements towards atomic clock operation have been performed. The precision of the estimation was limited by the linewidth of the interrogation laser.
The operation of and fully characterized the 2D MEMS trap has been shown and is summarized in a publication. As a highlight, it was possible to demonstrate two independent ion crystals in two consecutive radio frequency traps on a single chip.
The experimental setups at the academic partners were adapted to facilitate efficient ion trap testing. To that end, tight alignment between IFAT/UIBK/ETHZ assured that the experimental setups and requirements in the laboratories (UIBK/ETHZ) are compatible with the ion traps provided by IFAT.

The objectives were updated within an amendment to focus on the ion-trap aspect of optical clocks. This will fit the strengths of the consortium and will provide more value to the scientific community. For the atomic-clock application an ion-trap test suite has been developed and standards have been defined initially for set-up implementation and experiments. All results on ion-traps have been considered to identify and promote their use in commercial applications on the market. Relevant field of implementation of such quantum devices have been identified with particular focus in the automotive sector where the project activities were devoted to the identification of robust solutions in cyber-security for vehicle communications at IFEVS. The solution which turned out to be the most suitable for automotive industry implementation has been set-up in a prototype to demonstrate Over-the-Air Firmware Update.

Regarding in-vehicle and mobility communications, the main security options, such as Quantum Key Distribution, have been analysed. The most suitable one for implementation in the automotive sector has been implemented ensuring the highest level of robustness even against cyber-attacks deployed with Quantum Computers. The solution features pre-shared keys with limited time validity for authentication and relies on classical cryptography (SSH protocols) for secured data-transfer. The system performance can be compared to the best available on the market platforms (e.g. adopted for landline links used by banks).

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Within PIEDMONS the feasibility of microstructured 3D ion traps, which are the first to combine mm-scale topology and µm-scale fabrication precision, have been demonstrated. The confinement potential based on a microstructured (hence scalable) fabrication technology can in-turn be invested in room temperature operation or larger ion numbers.
The first batch of 3D ion traps was characterized experimentally and demonstrated both the targeted confinement potential depth as well as motional heating rates at operating temperatures as defined.

Additionally, the following results are available:
• Operation of new surface ion traps with an electrode design that should allow for ion-ion interaction on a 2D lattice
• Study showing record-low E field noise measured with an ion in a microfabricated Paul trap
• Design and fabrication of electronic digital-to-analog-converters that can be integrated in an ion trap package
• The 3D MEMS trap was completely characterized to show room-temperature operation.
• E and B field sensing were evaluated, as well as the performance for clock applications.
• A preliminay precision spectroscopy measurement was performed as a precursor for an atomic clock.

A prototype Electric Vehicle has been set-up to implement a quantum secured communication architecture and to demonstrate Firmware Over the Air services. The proposed approach shares the same level of security of standard QKD systems for data encryption. QRNG systems have been investigated, as well as Quantum Key Distribution protocols.
A thorough analysis of the state-of-the-art solutions has been carried out, keeping a particular eye to the miniaturization aspects of the commercially available systems. The application of ion-traps to such set-ups has been under consideration, evidencing feasibility issues, then a different approach has been implemented to fulfil automotive constraints.

The results gained within PIEDMONS, provide a solid basis for future collaborations between academia and industry. We believe that the industrialization of quantum technology will provide societal benefit by solving relevant problems through quantum computing and providing new applications through improved clocks and sensors. The project has produced ion traps using a CMOS compatible MEMS process, which have a very high potential for quantum computing, clock and sensing applications.

PIEDMONS Logo

PIEDMONS PhD Student Silke Auchter with a wafer containing about 1,000 chips for quantum research