Seeking European partners to co-develop atomic scale fabrication technologies

Quantum Silicon Inc. is an early-stage company with a disruptive approach to building computing devices. The company makes computer logic based on the ultimately-small silicon device: a single silicon atom forming an atomic silicon quantum dot. Its aim is to meet the semiconductor industry’s need for products that are faster and significantly more power efficient than is possible with today’s and tomorrow’s transistor-based approach, allowing the industry to resume its Moore’s Law path without discarding the multi-billion-dollar investment it has made in silicon over the past half-century.

All of this is possible because Quantum Silicon Inc.’s ability to manufacture at the atomic scale is the best in the world. For years, organizations around the world have sought automated and scalable tip-based manufacturing using scanning tunnelling microscopes and atomic force microscopes. QSi has that, and the company puts it to work every day to make its unique circuits.

In summary, the company is in business to develop, design, manufacture and license:

• High-speed binary logic circuits that meet the semiconductor industry’s need for faster products that use orders of magnitude less energy than the best of today’s transistor-based machines
• Atom-scale quantum computers that have relaxed cryogenic requirements compared to other designs, and
• Hybrid quantum-classical devices

Quantum Silicon Inc. is also marketing some of their atomic fabrication tools, including the proprietary Single Atom Tips (SATs).

QSI’s lithographic techniques for atom scale fabrication are the best in the world. The company uses Scanning Tunneling Microscopes or Atomic Force Microscopes for manufacturing purposes. Until now, these tools have been researching tools, but the company has developed them into economically scalable manufacturing tools. The patented control system and user interfaces create a fully-automated and scalable atom-scale production process. In the same way, the tools and techniques developed by Quantum Silicon Inc. for tip-based manufacturing are products in their own right that are sold or licensed to others.

In terms of products, Quantum Silicon Inc. uses its manufacturing techniques to make computing devices formed from patterns of Atomic Silicon Quantum Dots. The company’s ASiQDs have made possible to develop atomically small, extremely fast and energy efficient devices that are made entirely of silicon, preserving the semiconductor industry’s enormous half-century silicon investment.

• Binary Computing:For classical computing, QSi’s approach results in logic devices that use orders of magnitude less energy than transistor-based computers. As computing becomes more ubiquitous, the amount of energy that the sector uses has increased to the point where computing today is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions as large as those of the airline industry. QSi’s binary products will be at least 1,000 times more energy efficient than the best of today’s transistor-based technologies while offering speeds in the terahertz range.
• Quantum Computing:For quantum computing, QSi has developed an approach using unique qubits, replacing the spin or other qubits that are commonly used by others. Quantum computing machines using QSi’s qubits will be far easier to control than those using spin qubits while avoiding the need for milli-kelvin temperatures. The relative simplicity of QSi’s devices and their very small size makes it feasible for the company to plan specialized quantum computing devices, or specialized hybrid quantum/classical devices, designed for specific applications. Therefore, the company is seeking collaborators to help fund and guide the development of its devices.
• First Hardware Product:QSi’s first hardware product is a unique atomic-scale chip – an electronic simulator designed to accelerate and improve the training of neural networks. The company envisions this as a white label or OEM chip. Part of the manufacturing will be done as a fabless semiconductor device using QSi’s proprietary macro-to-atom designs. The devices will be completed with atom-scale manufacturing at QSi’s facility. The company is currently engaging with interested researchers to collaborate on product design.

Preferences / Requirements for Potential European Partner(s)

The following are the important aspects Quantum Silicon Inc. is looking for a European partner:

1. Companies or research organizations with expertise in scanned probe microscopy, electron microscopy or ion beam microscopy
2. Companies developing neural network hardware, or companies deploying neural networks for machine learning