Aussie quantum computer breakthrough
Sydney physicists have made a breakthrough in the international race to build the first quantum computer by inventing the world’s narrowest silicon wire.
The wire is a mere four atoms wide and one atom high and yet it still conducts electricity just as well as its traditional copper equivalent.
The nanowire is a significant step on the road to quantum computers, which will be capable of computing enormous volumes of data far beyond anything offered by today’s machines.
Anyone with even a passing interest in technology is aware of the constant push to make devices smaller and lighter while at the same time increasing their power. The leader of the project, University of NSW PhD student Bent Weber, said, “This continuous downscaling means pretty soon you reach a few atoms, but building components that small is something the industry can’t achieve at the moment.”
To overcome the shortcomings encountered in the use of copper wiring, Weber and his team placed phosphorus atoms into silicon crystals. The process required the use of specially designed microscopes with atomic precision. The combination of the phosphorus and silicon caused the nanowire to behave like copper but on a much smaller scale than could otherwise have been achieved.
While scientists believe quantum computers are still a decade or so away, Weber and his team believe they have taken a significant step towards making them a reality.
Via: SMH
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Tags: australia, computers, highlights, laptops, netbooks, notebooks, wire
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