Researchers at Imperial are part of a new £12.6 million EPSRC-funded UK research programme launched to accelerate the development of next-generation photonic and quantum technology devices, using atomic-scale materials engineering to unlock new capabilities in communications, sensing and computing.
The five-year Materials Engineering for Advanced Devices (MEAD) EPSRC Programme Grant will bring together researchers from Imperial, the University of Manchester and the University of Leeds to focus on technologies that could underpin future secure communications systems, ultra-sensitive quantum sensors and scalable quantum computing – all areas recognised as strategically important to the UK's future economic prosperity, security and technological resilience. This is supported by an additional £5.6 million in partner funding.
Engineering materials at the atomic scale
One of the most significant challenges facing modern technology is how to utilise the engineering materials with such precision that their properties can be controlled at the level of individual atoms to realise new devices and capabilities.
Combining expertise in advanced materials, quantum technologies and device engineering, MEAD will exploit techniques including deterministic single-atom doping and isotopic engineering to create materials with entirely new functionalities, demonstrating they can be manufactured and deployed in devices for future technologies.
At Imperial, the research will focus on a complementary challenge: translating breakthroughs made at the atomic scale into technologies that can be manufactured reliably and at scale. MEAD aims to bridge this gap by developing new materials, devices and measurement techniques that support resilient communications, ultra-sensitive quantum sensing and fault-tolerant quantum computing.
Developing the next generation of masers at Imperial
A major focus of the programme at Imperial's Department of Materials is the development of a new generation of highly sensitive "masers", the microwave equivalent of lasers. These devices are cble of amplifying extremely weak signals with exceptionally low noise, making them attractive for both advanced communications and quantum technologies. Discovered at Imperial and capable of operation at room temperature, they could play an important role in future terrestrial communications systems that are less reliant on satellites, offering greater resilience in an increasingly connected world.
MEAD will also tackle some of the key engineering barriers preventing quantum technologies from reaching their full potential. Using the capabilities of the Bragg Centre at the University of Leeds, MEAD will develop novel quantum devices based on precisely engineered semiconductor materials, including advanced "qudits", which can carry more information than conventional quantum bits. By creating materials with unprecedented levels of atomic control, researchers hope to provide a pathway towards more scalable and efficient quantum computing systems. Masers developed at Imperial may offer a scalable route to extracting information from qubits and qudits while adding only a minimal level of detrimental noise.
The research team at Imperial comprises Professor Neil Alford, Dr Daan Arroo, Dr Stephen Hanham and Dr Shelly Conroy, all from the Functional Materials theme in the Department of Materials.
Professor Neil Alford said: "Many of the technologies that society will depend on in the coming decades will require levels of precision and performance that cannot be achieved using today's materials alone. MEAD is about creating the materials, devices and measurement capabilities needed to unlock the next generation of communications, quantum technologies and sensing systems."
MEAD is about creating the materials, devices and measurement capabilities needed to unlock the next generation of communications, quantum technologies and sensing systems. Professor Neil Alford, FREng, FRS Professor of Materials Department of Materials - Faculty of Engineering
Dr Daan Arroo, who will lead research on using masers for scalable qubit readout in quantum computers, said: "Imperial has pioneered the modern maser, and the MEAD Programme Grant will allow us to continue translating this technology from a laboratory breakthrough into real-world applications. I am excited to see masers take this step towards tackling some of the most challenging problems in quantum engineering. More broadly, our research demonstrates the continuing importance of materials science in unlocking the full potential of emerging quantum technologies."
Dr Stephen Hanham added: "Masers show how quantum technology can take us beyond the performance limits of conventional transistor-based electronics. By exploiting quantum effects at microwave frequencies, we can develop amplifiers with exceptionally low noise and high sensitivity, opening new possibilities for future communications systems."
Dr Shelly Conroy said: "For quantum materials, it is not enough to know what a material looks like at room temperature when the device itself may operate only a few degrees above absolute zero. With helium-temperature electron microscopy we can now look at the atomic structure and electronic behaviour under those operating conditions, and connect this with where the dopants and isotopes actually sit in the material. That gives us a route from engineering individual atoms through to understanding what they are doing in a real quantum device."
Turning atomic-scale research into future technologies
Imperial is the first site in Europe with the capability for atomic-resolution helium-cooled STEM and ptychography, allowing changes in atomic and electronic structure to be directly visualised at ultra-low temperatures. This will be combined with correlative isotope and dopant mapping via monochromated EELS at SuperSTEM and atom probe tomography at Imperial.
The programme is expected to deliver advances that extend well beyond its core areas of research, influencing fields including semiconductors, photonics, low-loss electronics, communications technologies and advanced manufacturing.
As countries around the world compete to secure leadership in quantum technologies and advanced materials, MEAD represents a significant investment in the scientific capabilities that could shape future generations of communications, computing and sensing systems.
