Program leader: Prof. dr. Dragan Mihailović
Duration: 01.08.2026 – 31.01.2028, ERC PoC, (GA 101335045, Femtogapengine)
Femtosecond laser tuning of superconducting quantum circuits introduces a revolutionary new approach to addressing noise and decoherence in quantum processors. If successfully applied, it could represent a transformative leap forward in superconducting quantum chip technology. Our recent discovery of femtosecond pulse-tuneable increase of superconducting Tc of superconducting Al films on Si chip substrates provides a fundamentally new post-fabrication capability: the creation of designer superconducting energy landscapes on-chip, in-situ with in-operando tuning quasiparticle sinks, quasiparticle barriers and engineered gap profiles defined with micron-scale precision that is compatible with industry standard circuit layouts and operational procedures.
The aim of the PoC is to build a prototype machine and implement it on a dilution refrigerator for demonstrating in-situ and in-operando superconducting circuit tuning and testing. The laser-processing parameter space will be explored and correlated with long-term stability, fabrication processes and operation compatibility. The ambition of this time-sensitive project is not incremental optimization, but the developing of a new technological paradigm: programming superconducting circuits by light. A successful outcome would establish the first laser-defined platform for local superconducting gap-engineering and provide a scalable route toward improved quasiparticle management in quantum processors, superconducting detectors, resonators, and hybrid quantum devices. A technology that could actively reduce noise would be monumental, marking a major milestone for the quantum computing industry. IP protection and definition of a marketing
strategy will form an essential part of the PoC.
