Scalable and defect-tolerant color-center-based quantum computer architectures and methods for fabricating color-center-based quantum computer architectures

• US 7,546,000 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Florentino, Marco, Beausoleil, Raymond G., Santori, Charles, Spillane, Sean M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan; Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US11/517,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20080063339A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 385/14, 385/24, 385/129
• US Class Current: 385/14
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12007 forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1225 comprising photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/01708 in an optical wavequide structure
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3133 the optical waveguides being made of semiconducting materials
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/32 Photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/15 involving resonance effects, e.g. resonantly enhanced interaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 10/00 Quantum computing, i.e. information processing based on quantum-mechanical phenomena

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to color-center-based quantum computer architectures that are both scalable and defect tolerant and to methods for fabricating color-center-based quantum computer architectures. In one embodiment of the present invention, a node of a quantum computer architecture comprises a first photonic device configured to transmit electromagnetic waves, a color center embedded in diamond and coupled to the first photonic device, and a switch located between the first photonic device and a bus waveguide. The switch can be configured to selectively control transmission of electromagnetic waves between the bus waveguide and the color center.

Claims

1. A node of a quantum computer architecture, the node comprising:

a first photonic device configured to transmit electromagnetic waves;

a color center embedded in diamond and coupled to the first photonic device; and

a switch located between the first photonic device and a bus waveguide, and the switch configured to selectively control transmission of electromagnetic waves between the bus waveguide and the color center.

2. The node of claim 1 wherein the color center further comprises an atomic-vacancy center.

3. The node of claim 2 wherein the atomic-vacancy center further comprises one of:

a nitrogen-vacancy center;

a nickel-vacancy center;

or

a silicon-vacancy center.

4. The node of claim 1 wherein the switch further comprises:

a second photonic device that couples the first photonic device to the bus waveguide;

a positively doped semiconductor substrate region in electrical contact with a first electrode located on a first side of the second photonic device; and

a negatively doped semiconductor substrate region in electrical contact with a second electrode located on a second side of the second photonic device.

5. The node of claim 1 wherein the switch further comprises:

a second photonic device configured to couple the first photonic device to the bus waveguide; and

a pair of electrodes configured to supply heat to change the refractive index of the second photonic device.

6. The node of claim 1 wherein the switch further comprises a second photonic device configured to experience a refractive index change when exposed to an electromagnetic wave of a particular wavelength.

7. The node of claim 1 wherein the switch further comprises:

a second photonic device configured to couple the first photonic device to the bus waveguide; and

electrooptic material deposited on the second photonic device and configured to change the refractive index of the second photonic device when a voltage is applied to the electrooptic material.

8. The node of claim 1 wherein the first photonic device is sandwiched between a top cladding layer and a bottom cladding layer.

9. The node of claim 1 further comprising a top cladding layer patterned in the shape of the node photonic devices.

10. The node of claim 1 wherein the first photonic device and the second photonic device further comprises one of:

a microring;

or

a resonant cavity of a photonic crystal.

11. The node of claim 1 wherein the first photonic device, the second photonic device, and the bus waveguide further comprises one of:

a high index dielectric;

a II-VI semiconductor;

a III-V semiconductor;

or

a Group IV semiconductor.

12. The node of claim 1 wherein the quantum computer architecture further comprises a single, bulk diamond layer.

13. A quantum computer architecture comprising:

a bus waveguide configured to transmit one or more electromagnetic waves; and

one or more nodes, each node including a color center and is switchably coupled to the bus waveguide, wherein each of the one or more nodes further comprise;

a first photonic device configured to transmit one or more of the electromagnetic waves;

the color center embedded in diamond and coupled to the first photonic device; and

a switch located between the first photonic device and the bus waveguide, and the switch configured to selectively control transmission of electromagnetic waves between the bus waveguide and the color center.

14. The quantum computer architecture of claim 13 wherein the color center further comprises an atomic-vacancy center.

15. The quantum computer architecture of claim 14 wherein the atomic-vacancy center further comprises one of:

a nitrogen-vacancy center;

a nickel-vacancy center;

or

a silicon-vacancy center.

16. The quantum computer architecture of claim 13 wherein the switch further comprises:

a second photonic device configured to couple the first photonic device to the bus waveguide;

a positively doped semiconductor substrate region in electrical contact with a first electrode located on a first side of the second photonic device; and

a negatively doped semiconductor substrate region in electrical contact with a second electrode located on a second side of the second photonic device.

17. The quantum computer architecture of claim 13 wherein the switch further comprises:

a second photonic device configured to couple the first photonic device to the bus waveguide;

a pair of electrodes that supply heat to change the refractive index of the second photonic device.

18. The quantum computer architecture of claim 13 wherein the switch further comprises:

a second photonic device configured to couple the first photonic device to the bus waveguide; and

electrooptic material deposited on the second photonic device that can be used to change the refractive index of the second photonic device when a voltage is applied to the electrooptic material.

19. The quantum computer architecture of claim 13 wherein the first photonic device and the second photonic device further comprises one of:

a microring;

or

a resonant cavity of a photonic crystal.

20. The quantum computer architecture of claim 13 wherein the diamond is a single diamond layer.

21. The quantum computer architecture of claim 13 wherein the first photonic device, the second photonic device, and the bus waveguide further comprises one of:

a high index dielectric;

a II-VI semiconductor;

a III-V semiconductor;

or

a Group IV semiconductor.

22. The quantum computer architecture of claim 13 further comprising a top cladding layer and a bottom cladding layer.

23. The quantum computer architecture of claim 13 further comprising a top cladding layer patterned in the shape of node photonic devices.

24. The quantum computer architecture of claim 13 wherein the bus waveguide can be connected to a photonic multiplexer/demultiplexer.