SemiQon Advanced Quantum Computing With Cryogenic CMOS
SemiQon
SemiQon, a leader in scalable quantum computing technology, has made significant progress in tackling scaling challenges. SemiQon has demonstrated that their ultra-low-power cryogenic CMOS technology can characterise quantum dot qubits on a huge scale after launching the first cryogenically optimised CMOS transistor in late 2024. This is a major step towards SemiQon’s large-scale quantum integrated circuits.
SemiQon’s cryogenic CMOS transistor laid the framework for this next innovation. This transistor has record-low switching efficiency, needed for quantum processor control and readout. SemiQon Chief Science Officer Janne Lehtinen said that cryo-CMOS can lower power usage by 100, highlighting the pioneering influence of this early cooling technology. Lehtinen noted that many first thought such a huge power reduction was impossible. The cryo-CMOS transistor demonstrated component-level potential.
The next milestone shifts from establishing the concept in individual components to recreating it for thousands, enabling genuine scalability. SemiQon integrated circuits can cool hundreds of qubit devices in a single cycle, improving scalability.
SemiQon’s main goal is to merge tightly packed silicon qubits with an on-chip readout solution on the same silicon piece. This planned manoeuvre places control circuitry directly on the quantum chip and cryostat. This can reduce the need for bulky room-temperature electronics and many cables, which are a major scaling constraint for quantum systems.
The initial use of FDSOI silicon-28 substrates in this technological demonstration is remarkable. This rare substance is needed for high-quality qubits. Most importantly, SemiQon used this material for qubits and interface circuits. This integrated material approach is crucial to quantum technology advancement, according to the company. SemiQon observes that the industry standard has often used data from a single “hero device,” which is insufficient for understanding scale performance. Rather, large statistical datasets are needed to accurately define and understand qubits and their performance as systems grow.
Scalability is SemiQon’s strategic focus. The firm wants more than one show. Their goal is to develop technologies for the expected “million-qubit era” of quantum computing. SemiQon claims to have shown the efficient interface technology needed for this scale.
The next step in their technological plan, according to Janne Lehtinen, is cryo-compatible packaging for these cutting-edge semiconductors. SemiQon is also validating its lab-proven chips. The company’s research partners and early clients are hosting this validation, which is necessary to test the technology’s reliability in real life.
SemiQon’s power-efficient cryo-CMOS integrated circuits on the same FDSOI silicon-28 substrate as the qubits enable large-scale characterisation, which advances quantum processor size and complexity by addressing interconnect and power issues. This discovery helps scale quantum computers to feasible sizes.
In conclusion
SemiQon mass-characterized silicon-28 quantum dot qubits with control electronics on a chip. This minimises room-temperature and cabling components needed for million-qubit quantum systems. SemiQon directly integrates control circuits with qubits, simplifying and cheapening quantum computer architecture and enabling more scalable and efficient quantum computers.