Internship | Fabricating and characterizing InAs/Al hybrid devices for topological qubits

The realization of qubit processors in the Noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era has lead to devices that can be operated and demonstrated advantages compared to the classical computing on specific problems. However, due to poor fidelities of gate operations, large number of physical qubits are required to mitigate/correct errors in order to realize logical qubits. Error mitigation becomes even more challenging as the number of physical qubits increases. A possible solution to this problem is using the so-called topologically protected Majorana qubits utilizing Majorana zero modes (MZMs), which are largely considered to be immune to local perturbations. Semiconductor-superconductor hybrids are considered the best approach towards topological quantum computing. Nevertheless, a fundamental roadblock in the current efforts to engineer MZMs is disorder, which prevents the creation of a global topological phase. Recent efforts have demonstrated novel approaches to tackle this issue based on new device concepts with promising results.

In this project we will work on fabricating quantum dot – superconductor – quantum dot devices to realize a so-called Kitaev chain. In these devices the coupling between the dots should be tunable and is expected to allow for a topological regime where Majorana zero modes exist. Such devices have already been realized with a different material base (InSbAs 2DEGs) where crucial ingredients needed to realize a Kitaev chain have been demonstrated. For this project, we use high quality InAs 2DEGs interfaced with epitaxial Al (superconductor).
The candidate will co-design and develop a robust recipe for controllable and reproduceable fabrication of Kitaev-2 and Kitaev-3 devices in the InAs 2DEG, and also perform basic electrical characterizations at 4 K. For this project the candidate will work in the Kavli cleanroom and on various tools including electron beam lithography, chemical etching, metal and dielectric deposition, and scanning electron microscopy.
This student project will be an internship with a duration of 3-4 months on the topic of quantum devices.

You are a Masters student in the last phase of your study in a relevant field (physics, chemistry and/or material science). You have cleanroom experience, preferably you have worked with electron beam lithography, chemical etching, metal and dielectric deposition.

You want to work on the precursor of your career; a work placement gives you an opportunity to take a good look at your prospective future employer. TNO goes a step further. It’s not just looking that interests us; you and your knowledge are essential to our innovation. That’s why we attach a great deal of value to your personal and professional development. You will, of course, be properly supervised during your work placement and be given the scope for you to get the best out of yourself. Naturally, we provide suitable work placement compensation.

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After the first CV selection, the application process will be conducted by the concerning department. TNO will provide a suitable internship agreement. If you have any questions about this vacancy, you can contact the contact person mentioned below.