University of Glasgow wins funding for superconductors

University of Glasgow superconducting quantum circuit

www.gla.ac.uk" target="_blank">University of Glasgow engineers have won a major new grant to support the development of more energy-efficient superconductors which will help accelerate advances in quantum technologies. The Superconductor Prototyping for Critical Technologies project, or Super-CT, has received £1.5 million from UKRI’s Engineering and Physical Research Council (EPSRC).

The three-year Super-CT project is one of six new research initiatives recently announced by EPSRC which will share in £7.5 million in new funding. They will each focus on the evolution of manufacturing technologies and processes, to grow and transform manufacturing sectors in areas where the UK can lead and be more productive. Co-created with businesses, the academics supported by the grants will focus on increasing the sustainability of manufacturing processes, which is a UK academic area of strength.

Super-CT brings together researchers from the university’s James Watt School of Engineering with Quantcore, a university spin-out, to build the UK’s first fabrication facility for niobium-based superconducting circuits for use in quantum computing devices.

Niobium circuits offer numerous advantages over those currently made from aluminium, which can be affected by external noise. Niobium circuits can operate more reliably at faster clock rates while using less power, helping to reduce the carbon footprint of quantum computing devices. Quantum computers, which are capable of performing complex calculations much more quickly than conventional digital computers, are expected to become a cornerstone of the world economy worth trillions of dollars in the years to come.

Pioneering foundry
The funding will enable the team to build a pioneering foundry for niobium-based superconducting circuits, exploring how they can be built and scaled up from single chips to larger-scale manufacturing on silicon wafers – a key step towards producing circuits on a commercial scale. The work will be undertaken at the university’s £35 million James Watt Nanofabrication Centre, which is home to the ‘state of the art’ equipment required to develop the team’s prototype circuits.

The University of Glasgow’s Professor Martin Weides is leading the Super-CT project. He said: “Superconductors are the foundation on which the technologies of the future will be built. Quantum computers, sensors and communications all rely on superconducting circuits operating at very low temperatures. Scotland’s central belt is home to a unique concentration of expertise across the cutting-edge technologies which will enable the quantum devices of the future. We can handle everything from fundamental research to prototype development at the JWNC and ultimately to commercial fabrication.

“This new funding from EPSRC to help establish Super-CT will help drive breakthrough advances in niobium-based superconductors. It will unlock new capabilities in quantum systems, help build the strength of the UK’s cutting-edge supply chain, and further establish Scotland as a key driver for the technologies of the future.”

Critical technologies sector
Super-CT will also help contribute to the goals of Scotland’s Critical Technologies Supercluster, a partnership which brings together Scotland’s internationally recognised strengths in photonics, quantum, semiconductors, connectivity and sensing. The Supercluster is supported by the University of Glasgow, Technology Scotland, the Scottish government, Scottish Enterprise and the University of Strathclyde. Together, they are working to deliver on an action plan to grow Scotland’s critical technologies sector from 11,000 jobs which generate annual revenues of £4 billion today, to 18,000 jobs and £10 billion in revenue by 2035. Super-CT will be supported by Quantcore which will focus on developing niobium-based superconducting components.

Quantcore’s CEO Dr Jack Brennan said: “The University of Glasgow is carrying out world-leading research, right at the cutting edge of quantum technology. Projects like Super-CT reinforce these research capabilities, and massively support the growing quantum technology ecosystem right across Scotland.”

Further project partners include the National Quantum Computing Centre, Oxford Instruments, Kelvin Nanotechnology, the University of Cardiff, KLA, and the Alliance for Research Challenges in Quantum Technologies, bringing together critical expertise across quantum systems, cryogenics, nanofabrication, and advanced semiconductor processes.