RIBER Deploys MBE Technology To Support Quantum Computing

PRESS RELEASE

RIBER deploys MBE technology to support quantum computing materials

Bezons, 20 December 2022 – 08:00 – RIBER, a global market leader for semiconductor equipment, has further strengthened its development on the quantum processor materials market in 2022.

Through EPICENTRE, a joint laboratory with LAAS-CNRS in Toulouse, established in June 2021, RIBER started to deploy the technologies that make it possible to build the core components of future generation of quantum computers. It is based on the physical phenomenon of quantum entanglement, which occurs when two elementary particles – two electrons (electrical particles) or two photons (light particles) – share identical parameters, even though they are very far apart.

This requires strict conditions for their production environment, which must be ultra-pure, ultra-controlled and ultra-cold, with single-atom precision.
The technologies available to deliver these performance levels include MBE, the material growth technique in which RIBER has built leading expertise, which is one of the best positioned. That is why RIBER is part of a joint quantum computing laboratory program to develop the technological components that make it possible to build it.

To produce electrons or photons, it is possible to use “quantum dots”, which are small volumes of ultra-pure and ultra-controlled semiconductor alloys developed and controlled using MBE. To transport them, superconducting metals can be used with ultra-precise dimensions (atomic scale), within which the electrons flow undisturbed. The MBE technology is perfect for depositing these superconducting materials in an ultra-pure environment with atomic layer-controlled thickness.

These quantum dots and superconductors must be perfectly isolated from their surroundings, which is achieved by depositing dedicated oxide material.

The various stages for the development of the quantum dots, superconductors and insulators require several deposition chambers that must have an ultra-high – or almost perfect – vacuum to avoid any contamination. Qvacuum quality is part of the excellence that RIBER’s technology offers for these MBE machines.

An MBE machine for quantum computing will therefore include several deposition chambers connected together by robots under ultra-high vacuum conditions. It can include three to five chambers connected by two or three robots under ultra-high vacuum conditions, controlled by highly sophisticated surveillance software that manages the sample movements and material deposition process.

With the complexity of this type of equipment due to the number of chambers and the ultra-purity, ultra-control and ultra-cold performance levels, this advanced technology has a market value of several million euros per machine.

This is illustrated by the order announced on October 25 for several million euros worth of research equipment, including various rooms and equipment items, in order to provide a new European research laboratory with the flexibility and versatility of MBE to use materials representing future quantum computer components.

Michel Picault, chairman of RIBER’s executive board, concludes: “The quantum technology is very promising, but it still needs to overcome some important development challenges build specific chips. RIBER’s MBE technology will make it possible to accelerate progress towards the production of quantum chips on a larger scale. Our joint laboratory with LAAS-CNRS will help us reach this higher level of technological maturity faster.”

About RIBER

RIBER is the global market leader for MBE – molecular beam epitaxy – equipment. It designs and manufactures MBE systems and evaporators for the semiconductor industry. It also provides technical and scientific support to its customers, maintains their equipment and optimizes their performance and output levels. Through its high-tech equipment, RIBER plays an essential role in the development of advanced semiconductor systems used in numerous consumer applications, from information technology to 5G telecommunications networks, OLED displays and next-generation solar cells.
RIBER is a BPI France approved innovative company and is listed on the Euronext Growth Paris market (ISIN: FR0000075954).
www.riber.com

Contacts

RIBER: Michel Picault | tel: +33 (0)1 39 96 65 00 | [email protected]
CALYPTO Cyril Combe | tel: +33 (0)1 53 65 68 68 | [email protected]