Archer Materials Limited (ASX:AXE) has reached a significant technological milestone in progressing its CQ technology that aims to build a room-temperature quantum computing qubit processor (chip).
CEO Dr Mohammad Choucair said Archer is one of very few companies globally that provides investors a direct, on-market opportunity to invest in quantum computing technology.
We have successfully performed our first measurement on a single qubit component, which is the most important component, marking a significant period moving forward in the development of Archer’s CQ quantum computing chip technology,” Dr Choucair said.
“Building and operating the CQ chip requires measurements to be successfully performed at the very limits of what can be achieved technologically in the world today.
Directly proving room-temperature conductivity of the 12CQ chip qubit component solidifies our global competitive advantage and advances our development towards a working chip prototype”.
Dr Choucair said conductivity measurements on single qubit components (qubits) were carried out by Archer staff using conductive atomic force microscopy that was configured using state-of-the-art instrumentation systems, and housed in a semiconductor prototype foundry cleanroom.
The qubit conductivity and the associated underlying theories were proposed in 2016 by Dr Choucair, in the seminal work underpinning the CQ technology published in the highly reputable peer-reviewed scientific journal Nature Communications. The measurements have now directly, unambiguously and reproducibly confirmed these proposals, that are major factors in determining the commercial viability of the CQ chip technology,
The measurements progress Archer’s technological development towards controlling quantum information residing on individual qubits (control) – which is a key componentry requirement for a working quantum computing qubit processor; another being readout. Control must be performed prior to readout, as these subsequent steps represent a logical series in the CQ quantum computing chip function.
“The technological significance of the work is inherently tied to the commercial viability of the CQ technology. The room-temperature conductivity potentially enables direct access to the quantum information stored in the qubits by means of electrical current signals on-board portable devices, which require conducting materials to operate, for both control and readout”.
“The intrinsic materials feature of conductivity in our qubit material down to the single qubit level represents a significant commercial advantage over competing qubit proposals that rely on insulating materials, such as diamond-based materials or photonic qubit architectures, that are difficult to integrate onboard portable devices.”