A Quantum Leap Forward Electrical and Computer

A QUANTUM LEAP FORWARD

ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

Professor Michael C. Hamilton and doctoral student Uday Goteti were awarded a patent for inventing superconducting quantum logic employing a quantum phase-slip junction to guide a signal through an integrated circuit and perform logic operations. Their superconducting logic technology uses nearly lossless circuits that feature lower power dissipation and higher speeds of operation than traditional electronics, as well as other superconducting electronic technologies. “One of the problems we have with conventional integrated circuits in classical computers is that we’re camped out at about 3 gigahertz in terms of how fast these processors operate. They’re not getting any faster and large ones found in data centers use an incredible amount of energy,” Hamilton said. “With these superconducting electronics, they can run at hundreds of gigahertz with extremely low power dissipation.” The technology is intended to be used in future generations of highperformance classical supercomputers and may find use in future quantum computers. Hamilton and his team are currently working on another patent incorporating both quantum phase-slip junctions with another, more traditional, superconducting device known as a Josephson junction. “By pairing quantum phase-slip junctions and Josephson junctions together, we aim to make superconducting electronics even more flexible to accommodate advanced functionality, and our recent work shows that this is very much a possibility,” he said.

MICHAEL C. HAMILTON

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Director, Alabama Micro/Nano Science and Technology Center 334-844-1879 mch0021@auburn.edu Website: aub.ie/MHamilton