Page 24 - Summer 2024

“What we’ve been able to do is effectively create manipulated using light within the defects at
a critical ‘brick’ needed to construct a silicon-
based quantum computer. It’s a crucial step to
making a technology that has the potential to
be transformative for humankind - feasible; a
technology that could give us the capability to
process data at such a scale that we will be able
to provide solutions to complex issues such as
addressing the impact of climate change and
tackling healthcare challenges”.
PhD researcher Ravi Acharya, who led the
project, adds:
“The great advantage of silicon quantum
computing is that the same techniques that
are used to manufacture the electronic chips,
currently within an everyday computer that
consists of billions of transistors, can be used
to create qubits for silicon-based quantum
devices. The ability to create high-quality silicon
qubits has in part been limited to date by the
purity of the silicon starting material used. The
breakthrough purity we show here solves this
problem”.
Reference: Tyler, N., New Electronics, 7th. May
Quantum Breakthrough in 2D Materials
Also at the University of Manchester has
been the discovery that a ‘simple atomic
defect’ in a layered 2D material can hold onto
quantum information for microseconds at
room temperature, revealing the potential
for 2D materials to revolutionise quantum
technologies.
The defect, discovered by researchers at the
universities of Manchester and Cambridge using
a thin material known as Hexagonal Boron Nitride
(hBN), demonstrates spin coherence - a property
whereby an electronic spin can retain quantum
information - under ambient conditions. It
was also observed that these spins could be
controlled using light.
Hexagonal Boron Nitride is an ultra-thin material
made up of stacked one-atom-thick layers that
are held together by forces between molecules,
but sometimes there are tiny flaws between
these layers, so called ‘atomic defects’. These
defects can absorb and emit light that can be
seen and they can also act as local traps for
electrons, the behaviour of which can be studied,
especially in relation to the spin property, which
allows electrons to interact with magnetic
fields. The electron spins can be controlled and
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room temperature, something which has never
been done before.
Carmen M. Gilardoni from the Cavendish
Laboratory at the University of Cambridge,
states:
“The results show that once we write a certain
quantum state onto the spin of these electrons,
this information is stored for approximately one
millionth of a second, making this system a very
promising platform for quantum applications.
This may seem short, but the interesting thing
is that this system does not require special
conditions. It can store the spin quantum
state even at room temperature and with no
requirement for large magnets”.
Professor Richard Curry adds:
“This work represents another leading
breakthrough from a University of Manchester
researcher in the area of materials for quantum
technologies, further strengthening the
international impact of our work in this field”.
Reference: New Electronics, Vol.57 Issue 6, June 2024, p.27
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AMRC TO RECEIVE
BRITAIN’S LARGEST
ROBOT
The University of Sheffield Advanced
Manufacturing Research Centre has
announced that it is to receive three six-axis
FANUC M-2000iA/1700L robots, currently the
largest industrial robot ever to be ordered in the
UK, and the world’s strongest long-reach robot.
The order forms part of Project Compass
(Composites at Speed and Scale), an £80
million investment which includes an aerospace
manufacturing R and D project delivered by a
consortium of partners including Boeing, Loop
Technology and Spirit AeroSystems, as well as
the AMRC.
The new innovation facility at the AMRC has
been developed to help solve composites
manufacturing challenges in order to meet
future demand for lighter commercial aircraft
and help the aviation industry reach net zero. In
particular, it aims to de-risk and develop high
rate sustainable structures, with the potential to
reduce large component process times from
around 40 hours to just four hours.
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The robots will form part of Loop Technology’s
proprietary high-rate deposition cell known as
FibreLINE, a high-rate preform manufacturing
system at the centre of which is FibreFORM.
FibreFORM can pick composite sheets known
as plies and form them into complex 3D double
curvature profiles before placing them onto a
tool, inspecting them and heat staking them
ready for the next stage of the production
process at a rate of 200kg an hour, compared
with 40kg an hour using conventional methods.
With a 1.7 tonne payload capacity and 6.2 metre
stroke, the FANUC M-2000iA/1700L provides
maximum flexibility for operations involving large
and heavy objects.
Alun Reece, Managing Director of Loop
Technology, comments:
“While we could have used precision gantries
to deploy our end effectors, they limit access
to the cell area due to requiring two rails on
which to carry the gantry bridge. In contrast, the
M2000iA robots are mounted on a single axis rail,
providing clear access from one side.
Innovations in robotics around scale, precision
and collaborative working are opening up new
opportunities for aerospace manufacturers
all the time. Whether in high-rate preforming
systems, fibre placement or assembly
operations such as drilling, fastening, sealing
or automated inspection applications, the
versatility offered by modern robotics is
redefining the way tasks are performed, helping
to drive down aerospace manufacturing costs
while driving up quality”.
Reference: ‘FANUC and Loop Technology sign Aerospace Deal for
largest Robots ever ordered in UK’, Industrial Director Manufacturing
Production Solutions, April/May 2024, p.34-35
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