PPPL is working with the semiconductor industry to develop new ways to fabricate capable, efficient, and cost-effective chips. Industry goals include a major expansion in the type and structure of the materials to be used, which must be implemented with atomic-scale precision.

The Lab’s expertise in low-temperature plasmas, which are used in nearly half of all steps in fabricating computer chips, are helping transform what has been a black-box, Edisonian approach into one based on scientific understanding and engineering control.

Our researchers are growing quantum diamond, an essential ingredient for advanced quantum sensors and materials, using our low-temperature plasma reactors housed in PPPL's Quantum Diamond Laboratory (QDL). We are exploring the use of diamond-based materials to create alternatives to silicon in the fabrication of microchips and could enable a wholly new type of chip relying on quantum bits, or “qubits,” that take the place of standard bits used in silicon-based computers. Qubits could make possible quantum computers that would be far faster and more powerful than computers today. A key goal of our Lab is to enhance qubit production with plasma to advance quantum device fabrication.

We're applying our experimental and computational strengths in plasma, engineering, and electrochemical and materials science to contribute to a net-zero world. Our goal is not only to contribute to basic science research, but also bring discoveries to deployment.