PhD studentship on Developing Silicon Microchips for Ion Trap Quantum Computers (2021)

What you get

• A tax free bursary for living costs for three and a half years.  From October 2021 this is expected to be £15560 per year, rising annually in line with Research Council minimum stipends.  The bursary can be supplemented by tutorial work.
• Fees waived at the UK level for three and a half years.
• A travel and conferences budget.

Type of award

Postgraduate Research

PhD project

Ion microchips are the core of any trapped-ion quantum computer. We recently published the blueprint for constructing a large scale quantum computer including specialized design specifications for microchips.The group produces state-of-the-art microchips and holds the world record for a number of chip specifications. You will further develop, together with industrial partners, ion microchips for the quantum computing demonstrators at Oxford and Sussex. In particular, you will develop microchips featuring arrays of ion traps giving rise to x-junctions and as well as geometries suited for superior optical access. In addition, this work will include the development of through silicon vertical interconnects, through holes for high optical access and on-chip features such as photon detectors, and integrated digital-to-analogue converters. This project involves designing, fabricating, characterizing and operating complex quantum microchips to be used in trapped-ion quantum computing, simulation and sensing quantum devices. The work will focus on silicon manufacturing. 

The Ion Quantum Technology Group is one of the world’s leading centres for the implementation of trapped-ion quantum computing and simulation. The group is part of the UK Quantum Technology Hub in Quantum Computing and Simulation. The group currently spans the head of group, a senior scientist, 5 PDRAs, 14 PhD students and 6 undergraduate students.

Eligibility

Applicants must hold, or expect to hold, at least a UK upper second-class degree (or non-UK equivalent qualification) in Physics, or a closely-related area, or else a lower second-class degree followed by a relevant Master's degree.

This award is open to UK nationals, or to EU nationals who have been resident in the UK for at least three years and have settled or pre-settled status.

We welcome applications from all other students to work in our research group, but you must have independent funding for your fees and living expenses.

Deadline

How to apply

Send your CV to Prof Hensinger at the email address below, who may then invite you to apply on-line, here:

https://www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply/log-into-account

If you are invited to apply online, select the PhD in Physics with a September 2021 start date.

State in the Finance & Funding section that you are applying for this studentship reference NQIT/SCQT/2021/11

Be sure to supply all of the required documents, particularly your transcripts and the details of two referees.

Contact us

If you have practical questions about the progress of your on-line application or your eligibility, contact Emma Ransley at mps-pgrsupport@sussex.ac.uk

For academic questions please email the head of group, Prof Winfried Hensinger
(Professor of Quantum Technologies)

(w.k.hensinger@sussex.ac.uk)

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You can find out more about the group at:

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/physics/iqt/

Some recent media coverage about the group’s work can be found here: The Telegraph, Nature, Financial Times, CGTN documentary, BBC, Sky News Tonight With Dermot Murnaghan, VICE, and Daily Mail.