Blog: Electron 'Spin' in Silicon Will Lead to Revolutionary Quantum Chips

Electron 'Spin' in Silicon Will Lead to Revolutionary Quantum Chips
University of Southampton (ECS) (05/26/10) Lewis, Joyce

Researchers in the United Kingdom say they are building the world's first silicon-based integrated single-spin quantum bit system. The nanoscale system will be able to initialize, manipulate, and read the spin states of single electrons. Capturing the spin of electrons is an advantage over using the electronic charge because it can maintain coherence and is more resistant to interference in silicon or graphene. The integrated single-spin technology could lead to the development of novel nanospintronic devices that use the spin of individual electrons to transmit, store, and process information. The devices have the potential to dramatically improve scaling of functional density and performance while reducing the energy dissipated per functional operation. The technology could increase the processing power of conventional computers, and be used in quantum computers. "This project is a paradigm shift in information and communication technology," says University of Southampton professor Hiroshi Mizuta. "It is not just an extension of existing silicon technology; we have introduced a completely new principle based on quantum mechanics, which will make it possible for industry to continue to use silicon as devices get smaller."

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