ASCOT, England, March 26 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Element Six Ltd (E6) is taking part in a major European Commission (EC) funded project aimed at developing new technologies for quantum computing. Researchers world-wide are interested in developing practical ways of making quantum computers since they have the potential to bring dramatic improvements in computer performance and information processing.
The project in which E6 is involved is called "Engineered Quantum Information in Nanostructured Diamond" or "EQUIND," and has the aim of establishing whether specific optical features identified in diamond can be used as the basic elements for quantum computers and single-photon sources. The three year project starts in 2007 and is part of the "FET Open Funding Programme," aimed at studying the potential of future and emerging technologies that may have an impact on society or industry.
EQUIND brings together eight groups of leading researchers from academia and industry and will be co-ordinated by the Ecole Normale Superieure de Cachan, near Paris. The other partners are the Universities of Bristol and Warwick in the UK, Stuttgart and Kiel Universities in Germany, the Academy of Science in Belarus, and the University of Melbourne in Australia. The consortium combines expertise in two different fields -- diamond material processing and quantum information processing. Steve Coe, Operations Manager at E6 says, "We believe that this is the first time such a group of researchers has been formed in Europe and could enhance Europe’s leadership in this field of enabling technology."
The EQUIND consortium will have access to the best available synthetic diamond material, for example, ultra-high purity single crystal diamond made by chemical vapour deposition, developed by E6 for a range of advanced engineering applications. The material gives EQUIND a strong base to develop diamond structures with the unique properties demanded by quantum computing.
Element Six is the world leader in the production of all forms of synthetic diamond for industrial use. Element Six has pioneered the development of CVD diamond technology since the 1980s, with a world-renowned research centre at Ascot dedicated to this activity. CVD diamond opens up many new application areas outside the traditional abrasive uses of synthetic diamond. Uses of CVD diamond include laser exit windows, cutting tools, surgical blades, windows for high-power gyrotrons, heat-spreaders for electronic devices, as well as active electronic devices.
