Insider Brief
Researchers from Sungkyunkwan University, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the University of Washington identified a molybdenum–oxygen-vacancy defect in zinc oxide that theoretical simulations indicate could serve as a high-performance spin qubit for quantum computing, communications, and sensing.
The proposed defect combines bright visible-light emission, a low Huang-Rhys factor, and an estimated spin coherence time of about 4 milliseconds, properties that support efficient quantum light generation and high-fidelity single-shot spin readout.
Because zinc oxide is a well-established semiconductor material compatible with existing crystal growth and fabrication techniques, the researchers suggest the defect could provide a scalable platform for integrated quantum devices if experimentally realized.
PRESS RELEASE — A research team led by SKKU Professor Hosung Seo of the Department of Quantum Information Engineering and the SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology, working with the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Washington, has identified—for the first time—an atomic defect structure in the zinc oxide (ZnO) semiconductor with outstanding properties for use as a “spin qubit,” a core building block of future quantum computers, quantum communications, and quantum sensors. The results were published in PRX Quantum, one of the most prestigious journals in quantum information science.
