Scientists Build Quantum Chip Linking Qubits Across 300 mm, Targeting 1 Million-Plus Systems
Updated
Updated · Livescience.com · Oct 5
Scientists Build Quantum Chip Linking Qubits Across 300 mm, Targeting 1 Million-Plus Systems
3 articles · Updated · Livescience.com · Oct 5
Summary
A prototype silicon-germanium quantum chip used Quantum Phononic Links to send quantum information between qubits separated by up to 300 mm, far beyond nearest-neighbor coupling.
The approach uses phonons—vibration-carrying quasiparticles—as a quantum bus, addressing a major bottleneck in quantum processors where distant qubits struggle to communicate.
Researchers built the design around semiconductor hole spin qubits in compressively strained germanium on silicon, a platform they said helps preserve coherence while staying compatible with semiconductor manufacturing.
The team argues the architecture could scale better than alternatives such as surface acoustic waves or charge-shunting methods, which face size and coherence limits in larger systems.
If the concept holds up, long-range on-chip links could support error correction across much larger machines and eventually help quantum computers scale past 1 million qubits.