Attojoule Superconducting Thermal Logic and Memories

Area of Science:

• Cryogenic technologies
• Superconducting electronics
• Quantum computing hardware

Background:

• Stringent thermal budgets in cryogenic applications necessitate electronic components with low energy use, high speed, and high integration density.
• Current superconducting devices face limitations in energy efficiency, switching speed, and scalability for large-scale systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a novel superconducting switch with superior performance characteristics for cryogenic technologies.
• To enable the development of large-scale superconducting quantum computers and sensors.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a superconducting switch comprising a superconducting nanochannel and a metal heater separated by an insulating silica layer.
• Experimental demonstration of digital gate operations (NOT, NAND, NOR, AND, OR) using the nanostructures.
• Development of energy-efficient volatile memory elements.

Main Results:

• Achieved attojoule switching energy, picosecond rise/fall times, and high integration density (~10^-2 μm^2 per switch).
• Demonstrated digital gate operations with femtojoule energy consumption and bit error rates below 10^-8.
• Developed volatile memory elements with nanosecond speeds and >10^5 s retention time.

Conclusions:

• The developed superconducting switch offers a pathway to significantly increase the size and complexity of cryogenic technologies.
• These switches are pivotal for advancing superconducting quantum computers and sensors by meeting critical performance demands.