Simulation of quantum CMOS silicon devices

Silicon-based CMOS (complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor) devices are the fundamental driver behind the microprocessor industry, with miniaturised fabrication on an industrial scale, they are a cheap and scalable classical component which led to the technological revolution of the 20$^{th}$ century. The prospect of low-cost, scalable architectures with integration with classical control elements offers an exciting asset that could be leveraged by silicon quantum hardware.

This PhD will be a focused study on silicon-based CMOS device modelling which will be used to examine band structure, extract parameters necessary to refine experimental data and models, with an emphasis on finding a suitable way to model such systems at cryogenic temperatures. The models created would then be used to fabricate further devices in collaboration with Quantum Motion and IMEC (Interuniversity Micro-Electronics Center). Refined data and modelled designs will be used to further the goals of achieving fault-tolerant architectures with a primary goal of development of a two-qubit gate with fault tolerant fidelity.

The impact of the centre will come through the people it trains, and will have several forms.

First, most importantly, impact will come from their research. Through their training, the students will have not only skills to control and exploit quantum physics in new ways, but also the background in device engineering and information science to bring these ideas to implementation. As rounded scientists they will be ready to think out of the box in an industrial environment, or to make mature choices of research problem in an academic one. Our commercial and governmental partners tell us how important these skills are in the growing number of people they are hiring in the field of quantum technologies; in the longer term we expect our graduates to be prominent in the development of new technologies and their application to communication, information processing, and measurement science in leading university and government laboratories as well as in commercial research and development. In the shorter term we expect them to be involved in doctoral research of the highest international impact.

Second, impact will come from the students' communication and outreach skills. We aim to create a generation of researchers who fully appreciate the importance of communicating their work. Through the training in scientific writing offered by our project partners Nature Publishing Group and the opportunities for public engagement offered by UCL's central London location and work of its Public Engagement Unit we will equip our graduates to communicate both to their professional peers and to the broader public. We hope they will play their part in making quantum concepts part of the common currency of ideas in the twenty-first century.

Finally, impact will flow from the students' approach to enterprise and technology transfer. From the outset they will be encouraged to think about the value of intellectual property, the opportunity it provides and the fundraising needed to support research and development. This approach will be reinforced by the bespoke training offered by project partners DFJ Esprit Venture Capital. As students with this mindset come to play a prominent part in university and commercial laboratories their common background will help to break down the traditional barriers between these sectors and deliver the promise of quantum technologies for the benefit of the UK and world economies.