SPECIAL NOTICE
99 -- TECHNOLOGY/BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Room temperature 3D deposition of ?-Tantalum for Qubits
- Notice Date
- 12/14/2023 3:36:30 PM
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 334413
— Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- LLNS � DOE CONTRACTOR Livermore CA 94551 USA
- ZIP Code
- 94551
- Solicitation Number
- IL-13860
- Response Due
- 1/14/2024 4:00:00 PM
- Archive Date
- 01/29/2024
- Point of Contact
- Jared Lynch, Phone: 9254226667, Charlotte Eng, Phone: 9254221905
- E-Mail Address
-
lynch36@llnl.gov, eng23@llnl.gov
(lynch36@llnl.gov, eng23@llnl.gov)
- Description
- Opportunity: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), operated by the Lawrence Livermore National Security (LLNS), LLC under contract no. DE-AC52-07NA27344 (Contract 44) with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is offering the opportunity to enter into a collaboration to further develop and commercialize its method for depositing 3D ?-Tantalum structures for the design of qubits. Background: Microelectronics and, in particular, superconducting quantum processors increasingly depend upon 3D metal structures to overcome constraints of purely planar, 2D microfabrication on low-loss dielectric surfaces (such as sapphire or silicon). Within superconducting qubit devices, the most common example are airbridges that allow for electrical pathways to be routed up and over other electrical pathways. In the superconducting qubit space, these airbridges are commonly made from high purity aluminum or titanium.� To microfabricate these 3D structures, it is common to use one or more layers of polymer photoresist, which can be readily patterned into an arbitrary shape. That shape is then transferred to the metal by depositing a layer of metal on top of the resist and then removing the resist by chemical treatment. The drawback of this technique is contamination � the product always includes some carbon-containing residue which can be detrimental to performance.� The most aggressive common treatment to remove such residues is a 'Piranha etch' solution (a mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide), and as the name implies, it can dissolve many things including most metals, such as aluminum and titanium. Tantalum has excellent electronic and mechanical properties and can withstand such strong corrosive mixtures. Moreover, its relatively high superconducting temperature (4.3 K) and superior surface qualities make it suitable for low-loss superconducting channels, such as those in superconducting qubit processors. But making films with high conductivity (the bcc phase of the crystal) typically requires temperatures more than 500 �C, which will deteriorate any polymer resist structure. Description: LLNL researchers developed a novel method to nucleate the alpha phase of Tantalum on a polymer surface at room temperature, allowing for the controllable formation of a variety of 3D structures, such as airbridges. Using this method with a subsequent Piranha etch results in the complete removal of the residues of the polymer 'scaffolding' or template while allowing the deposited tantalum structure to remain intact.� The crystal structure of the material (alpha-phase) was determined by analysis of its resistivity and microscopic morphology. Advantages/Benefits:� Room temperature deposition of alpha phase tantalum 3D structures or arbitrary form factor. Chemical etching resistance allows for complete removal of polymer template after tantalum deposition. Formation of alpha-phase tantalum provides the resulting structures with added structural integrity and improved electrical properties. Potential Applications:� Qubit design Semiconductor wafer component manufacturing Development Status:� Current stage of technology development:� TRL 3 LLNL is seeking industry partners with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Moving critical technology beyond the Laboratory to the commercial world helps our licensees gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. All licensing activities are conducted under policies relating to the strict nondisclosure of company proprietary information.� Please visit the IPO website at https://ipo.llnl.gov/resources for more information on working with LLNL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process. Note:� THIS IS NOT A PROCUREMENT.� Companies interested in commercializing LLNL's Room temperature 3D deposition of ?-Tantalum for Qubits should provide an electronic OR written statement of interest, which includes the following: Company Name and address. The name, address, and telephone number of a point of contact. A description of corporate expertise and/or facilities relevant to commercializing this technology. Please provide a complete electronic OR written statement to ensure consideration of your interest in LLNL's Room temperature 3D deposition of ?-Tantalum for Qubits. The subject heading in an email response should include the Notice ID and/or the title of LLNL�s Technology/Business Opportunity and directed to the Primary and Secondary Point of Contacts listed below. Written responses should be directed to: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Innovation and Partnerships Office P.O. Box 808, L-779 Livermore, CA� 94551-0808 Attention:�� IL-13860
- Web Link
-
SAM.gov Permalink
(https://sam.gov/opp/b79723aacc9e431aa978da76574b506a/view)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Livermore, CA, USA
- Country: USA
- Country: USA
- Record
- SN06912269-F 20231216/231214230052 (samdaily.us)
- Source
-
SAM.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's SAM Daily Index Page |