Chicago Quantum Exchange-led coalition advances to final round in NSF Engine competition
University of Chicago
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A Chicago Quantum Exchange–led coalition focused on leveraging cutting-edge quantum technology to protect the nation’s most sensitive information from cyber attacks has advanced to the final stage of the National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program.
view moreCredit: Chicago Quantum Exchange
A Chicago Quantum Exchange–led coalition focused on leveraging cutting-edge quantum technology to protect the nation’s most sensitive information from cyber attacks has advanced to the final stage of the National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) program, the NSF announced Thursday afternoon.
If funded, Quantum Connected, a Midwest-based coalition of academic, industry, nonprofit, and government partners, will build critically needed quantum-based cyber security. It is one of 15 teams who will pitch the NSF on different projects. Winners, anticipated to be announced in early 2026, could receive as much as $160 million over 10 years to advance technologies that maintain American competitiveness in critical areas.
“Quantum technology is our best long-term bet for securing our nation’s information, which faces escalating threats that classical technology is not equipped to address,” said David Awschalom, the University of Chicago’s Liew Family professor of molecular engineering, the director of the CQE, and Quantum Connected principal investigator. “Our region has all of the key elements — leading scientists and engineers, quantum startups, physical facilities — to deliver quantum-based security. The key gap is NSF funding support. An NSF Engine award would be an economic boost for the Illinois-Wisconsin-Indiana region. More crucially, though, it would be a critical win for US economic and national security — one we cannot do without.”
The CQE region is home to leading universities and national labs; more than two dozen quantum startups; and a growing roster of facilities across the Quantum Prairie, a region that includes Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana and is a leading hub for quantum innovation. Those facilities include the Roberts Impact Lab, a commercialization center and regional hub for business growth under development by Purdue University Northwest; Hyde Park Labs, which through the UChicago Science Incubator provides access to shared quantum equipment, the growing Chicago Quantum Network, and quantum graduation suites; a National Quantum Algorithm Center; and the soon-to-be-built Illinois Quantum & Microelectronics Park, which will include the DARPA-Illinois Quantum Proving Ground, shared cryogenic facilities, and more.
The region is also the home of the CQE-hosted Chicago Quantum Summit, which draws top leaders from government, academia, and industry each year. Tickets are on sale now for the November 3 and 4 event.
Launched by NSF TIP, the NSF Engines program is building and scaling regional innovation ecosystems across the country by supporting broad multi-sector coalitions to accelerate breakthrough emerging technology R&D that drives growth and, ultimately, bolsters US economic competitiveness and national security. Quantum technology has the potential to revolutionize a wide variety of industries and offer solutions to pressing global challenges.
A CQE-led coalition was also among those to receive an NSF Development Award in 2024, which it used to deepen partnerships and strengthen workforce and economic development plans across the three-state region.
In addition to an NSF Engine Development Award, the CQE also leads the US Economic Development Administration–designated Bloch Quantum Tech Hub, which is aimed at accelerating the development of quantum technologies that strengthen US economic and national security. The Bloch, which launched the nation’s first quantum innovation team rallying entire sectors around the nation’s most urgent challenges, was instrumental in attracting Bluefors, the world leader in manufacturing cryogenic measurement systems for quantum technology, to the region and bringing its Bluefors Lab service into the United States for the first time.
SFU physicists create new electrically controlled silicon-based quantum device
Simon Fraser University
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A pioneering team of scientists at Simon Fraser University have created a new type of silicon-based quantum device controlled both optically and electrically.
view moreCredit: Michael Dobinson/Simon Fraser University
A pioneering team of scientists at Simon Fraser University have created a new type of silicon-based quantum device controlled both optically and electrically, marking the latest breakthrough in the global quantum computing race.
Published in the journal Nature Photonics, researchers at the SFU Silicon Quantum Technology Lab and leading Canada-based quantum company Photonic Inc. reveal new diode nanocavity devices for electrical control over silicon colour centre qubits.
The devices have achieved the first-ever demonstration of an electrically-injected single-photon source in silicon. The breakthrough clears another hurdle toward building a quantum computer – which has enormous potential to provide computing power well beyond that of today’s supercomputers and advance fields like chemistry, materials science, medicine and cybersecurity.
“Previously, we controlled these qubits, called T centres, optically (with lasers),” says Daniel Higginbottom, assistant professor of physics. “Now we’re introducing electrical control as well, which increases the device capability and is a step toward applications in a scalable quantum computer.”
According to PhD candidate Michael Dobinson, the lead author of the study, the breakthrough will allow the research team to explore the different applications of the devices and the feasibility of scaling them up in larger quantum processors.
“This first demonstration shows that we can fabricate devices which allow for simultaneous optical and electrical control of T centres. This is exciting as it open the door to many applications in quantum computing and networking,” says Dobinson. “Overall, the optical and electrical operation combined with the silicon platform makes this a very scalable and broadly applicable device.”
The SFU lab’s leads, Stephanie Simmons and Mike Thewalt, co-founded Photonic Inc., to develop commercial-scale quantum computers and quantum networks.
The company, which recently announced plans to establish a research and development facility in the U.K., was an integral partner in the latest study.
Christian Dangel, manager, quantum devices in the Integrated Photonics team at Photonic Inc. and a co-author of the manuscript says, “This project was a great opportunity to leverage Photonic’s advanced fabrication capabilities and test their performance in next-generation devices in a research environment.”
Researchers at the Silicon Quantum Technology Lab were among the first in the world to explore using silicon colour centres for quantum technology.
Developing quantum technology using silicon provides opportunities to rapidly scale quantum computing. The global semiconductor industry is already able to inexpensively manufacture silicon computer chips at scale, with a staggering degree of precision. This technology forms the backbone of modern computing and networking, from smartphones to the world’s most powerful supercomputers.
“Our colleagues Stephanie Simmons and Mike Thewalt first proposed silicon colour centres as a platform for quantum computing at a time when very few people were thinking about them at all,” says Higginbottom.
Now, national governments, including Canada through its National Quantum Strategy, major universities and corporations like IBM, Google and Microsoft are spending billions of dollars in a scramble to be first out of the gate with a scalable quantum computer.
Higginbottom says being at the forefront of the field has been a thrilling experience.
“It fits into this trajectory that we've been on. In 2020, SFU first introduced silicon T centers for quantum applications. In 2022, we integrated Single T centers with patterned nanophotonic devices,” he says. “But those devices didn't have any interfaces or controls. Now we're controlling them optically and electronically. We're unlocking some of the capabilities that you need to build a useful computer out of these things.”
| Available SFU Experts |
DANIEL HIGGINBOTTOM, assistant professor, physics |
MICHAEL DOBINSON, PhD candidate, physics |
Contact |
MATT KIELTYKA, SFU Communication & Marketing 236.880.2187 | matt_kieltyka@sfu.ca |
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Communications & Marketing | SFU Media Experts Directory 778.782.3210 |
About Simon Fraser University |
SFU is a leading research university, advancing an inclusive and sustainable future. Over the past 60 years, SFU has been recognized among the top universities worldwide in providing a world-class education and working with communities and partners to develop and share knowledge for deeper understanding and meaningful impact. Committed to excellence in everything we do, SFU fosters innovation to address global challenges and continues to build a welcoming, inclusive community where everyone feels a sense of belonging. With campuses in British Columbia’s three largest cities—Burnaby, Surrey and Vancouver—SFU has ten faculties that deliver 368 undergraduate degree programs and 149 graduate degree programs for more than 37,000 students each year. The university boasts more than 200,000 alumni residing in 145+ countries. |
Journal
Nature Photonics
Article Title
Electrically triggered spin–photon devices in silicon
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