Organic Polymers in Electrochemical Fabrication of Superconducting Interconnects

Faculty advisor: Dr. Qiang Huang, University of Alabama

The world is always looking for ways to improve computers or to process data faster. Most traditional computers operate information as 0 or 1. Interconnect is a network of conducting wires in an integrated circuit, which computer uses to transmit the digital information between devices. Quantum computer is a completely new device that can perform quantum computations such as superpositions and entanglement. It is no longer based on the two discrete digits of 0 and 1 like the traditional computers. One of the most promising quantum computers is operated at extremely low temperatures, typically under a few Kelvins. In such computers, any heat and noise from chemical and physical changes will hinder the computation performance. In order to avoid such heat generation or thermal perturbation, the interconnects need to be made of superconducting material, which conducts electricity without any resistance when the temperature is below a threshold point, or the so-called critical temperature. Under this condition, no heat will be generated due to the passage of electricity and thermal noise is not of a concern anymore. The long-term goal of this project is to develop electrochemical processes to fabricate such superconducting interconnects, and the specific goal of this REU project is to investigate polymer molecules for such fabrication processes. Polymers have been typically used as additives in electrochemical processes to fabricate the traditional interconnects, where the polymer molecules suppress the electrochemical deposition rate of conducting metals. However, such studies have never been reported for superconductors. Tests will be carried out to evaluate various candidate polymers and to identify good suppressors for superconductor deposition.