Optimization of Additive Manufacturing Technique for 3D Superconducting Multi-Qubit Systems

Quantum computers (QC) have the potential to efficiently solve problems currently unfeasible on even the fastest generation of classical computers, drastically advancing the frontiers of high energy physics and science in general. The building block element of a QC is a quantum bit (qubit). Encoding qubit states in high-Q resonant cavity modes is a known solution to maintain qubit states, however there is a need for simpler, cheaper and at the same time reliable and accurate fabrication techniques capable of realizing new complex highly efficient qubit cavity designs. In Phase I, we will refine, in collaboration with North Carolina State University (NCSU), Electron Beam Melting Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) technology for the production 6 GHz qubit quarter wave resonator (QWR) designs. Optimized qubit cavity designs will be generated, and prototype cavities fabricated and experimentally tested. In Phase I we will generate an optimized quarter wave resonator qubit cavity design in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), and fabricate a prototype single cell qubit QWRs designs using EBAM at NCSU, focusing on two materials: RRR-grade niobium and Ti- 6Al-4V. We plan to test the cavity at The University of Chicago (UChicago), in a dilution refrigerator at 10-50 mK temperatures in a single-photon regime.The emerging field of quantum computing, although presently in its infancy, is rapidly growing and has explosive commercial potential. The immediate customers for the technology being developed are currently U.S national laboratories. Commercial applications associated with quantum computing are immense, from new drug discoveries to Homeland Security and DOD applications. The technical approach developed in this project can also be applied to other applications using niobium, such as SRF accelerating cavities, rocket engines, and medical implants.