A silicon-based surface code quantum computer

Scientists in the UK propose a solution for the miniaturization of quantum computers utilizing movable read-out stages. A team led by Simon Benjamin of Oxford University and John Morton of University College London aimed to resolve the difficulty inherent in interacting with many qubits within a scalable quantum computer based on impurity atoms in silicon. The researchers propose a device architecture based on two moving silicon chips, where impurity atoms embedded in a movable silicon 'probe stage' hover above a silicon 'data stage' to control and access the qubits. The architecture arranges the impurities in a checkerboard pattern and is optimized for the 'surface code'–a method of protecting qubits from errors in a device of any size. This represents a promising approach for developing scalable quantum computers.