European-based quantum computing business, Quandela, has launched its first manufacturing pilot line for high-performance photonic qubit devices, helping to accelerate the deployment of error-corrected quantum computers.
The new pilot line launch follows the successful opening of the firm’s first quantum computer factory in June 2023, which supported the the delivery of two quantum computers to industrial customers. According to Quandela, this latest development underscores the business’s commitment to industrial scaling and innovation in the quantum computing sector.
Quandela states that the manufacturing plant, located at the Photovoltaic Institute of Île-de-France in France, brings together the firm’s extensive know-how with industrial machines and processes, boosting the manufacturability and performance of the qubit devices.
Now, for the upcoming two years, it is hoped that the pilot line will produce more than 2,000 devices per year. Once at full capacity, it is projected to reach 10,000 devices per year, with qubit device density increasing to hundreds of devices per mm².
The pilot line will also use a novel qubit identification tool to allow for testing of qubit properties, such as coherence time, at cryogenic temperatures in just a few minutes. This will allow for selection of the most performant qubits for further processing, probing of the quantum properties of hundreds of nanometer-sized structures, and collection of high-volume data that maps uniformity. With this, Quandela claims it can gain feedback that may optimise the fabrication process, leading to high yields (from 40% to over 70%) and low process variation (increased uniformity over thousands of devices on a cm² area).
The pilot line, which is the first manufacturing plant entirely dedicated to such technology worldwide, is seen to be a key milestone in the development of Quandela’s technology, helping to propel quantum technology into the industrialisation phase and expand its integration into quantum systems for computing, networking, and communication.
