Quantum processor testing and measurement facilities up and running
SemiQon is the first company to operate within the laboratory premises of the Finnish National Metrology Institute VTT MIKES. The new facilities support SemiQon’s commitment to advancing world-class measurement expertise and infrastructure for building scalable quantum hardware.
SemiQon's measurement and testing facilities within the premises of the National Metrology Institute VTT MIKES are now finalized and fully operational. SemiQon will be the first deep-tech company benefiting from one of the best metrological research infrastructures in the world for low-noise, high-precision measurement – a basic prerequisite for understanding and implementing quantum metrology.
“High-precision measurements are an important part of quantum information processing. Metrology and the infrastructure that are meant for the most accurate measurements is a key enabler when SemiQon develops scalable quantum processing units. One of the greatest challenges is to maintain low qubit error rates when the complexity of the processor increases. To solve this, understanding of the error mechanisms is vital, and here, metrology has a significant role,” says Janne Lehtinen, Chief Science Officer of SemiQon.
At the MIKES premises, SemiQon has invested in its own cryogenic measurement setup that includes measurement of spin-qubit devices with a 5 Tesla magnetic field and at temperatures between 400mK and 1K. Since SemiQon’s spin-qubit chips operate at a higher temperature, it simplifies the cryogenic requirements compared to, for example, superconducting chips.
SemiQon’s facility at the MIKES premises also houses a probe-station for full-scale wafer probing of SemiQon’s fabricated wafers. Investments in such industrial equipment will allow for fast and robust wafer quality mapping and a better understanding of the yield of SemiQon’s qubit manufacturing process. The facility also houses various state-of-the-art qubit measurement equipment provided by partners globally, including Qblox and Quantum Machines. The cryostat supplied by Bluefors is one of over 1200 cryostats delivered by the company, and a top-of-the-line piece of equipment for cryogenic measurement in magnetic fields.
“We are happy to see companies such as SemiQon productize technologies that are at the cutting edge of high-end metrology. The capability to carry out accurate measurements in a very sensitive electrical, thermal, and magnetic environment has been the focus of MIKES researchers for long, and the presence of companies like SemiQon boosts the interest in and potential for metrology from a commercial perspective,” says Martti Heinonen, VP of VTT MIKES.
SemiQon’s new facilities also represent a continuing relationship between VTT MIKES and Bluefors.
“Companies like SemiQon pose an interesting technical challenge for Bluefors, and we are happy to be able to provide a cryogenic setup that allows SemiQon to reach their goals. Incidentally, one of Bluefors’ very first commercial cryostats was installed in MIKES facilities in 2008, and it is great to see the latest Bluefors cryostats being now commissioned by SemiQon at the same premises,” says David Gunnarsson, CTO of Bluefors.
Otaniemi, Finland has recently been nominated as the location of one of NATO’s new DIANA test centres for quantum technologies. Other facilities like Kvanttinova will also support the development and further expansion of semiconductor and quantum pilot-line facilities in Otaniemi. These strategic investments further bolster the region’s competitiveness and align with SemiQon’s vision and choice of location for manufacturing and testing its quantum processors.
