July 23, 2021, Q-NEXT Updates

SLAC begins construction on quantum foundry

Construction on the SLAC Detector Microfabrication Facility, located in the Arrillaga Science Center, began on June 14. (Image by SLAC)

The Q-NEXT Quantum Foundries effort has reached an important milestone: On June 14, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory began construction on its Detector Microfabrication Facility, one of the two foundries that will support Q-NEXT research.

The SLAC DMF is a 5,500-square-foot, class-100 cleanroom that will be built on the ground floor of the lab’s three-story Arrillaga Science Center, which opened in 2019. It will feature six bays and six chases. Its ground-floor location and thick concrete floors ensure minimal noise and vibration. The facility will be used to fabricate high-precision superconducting devices.

Construction is expected to continue until spring 2022, when instrument installation begins.

Congratulations to all who made this achievement possible.

This work was supported by the DOE Office of Science National Quantum Information Science Research Centers.

News and features

See all news and features

September 9, 2026, News and Features
David Awschalom wins global Breakthrough of the Year award

David Awschalom, Q-NEXT Chief Science Officer and the Liew Family Professor of Quantum Engineering and Physics at the University of Chicago, received the prestigious Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year in Physical Sciences for a pioneering body of work that broke the wall between quantum technology, molecules, and proteins. Read More
September 8, 2026, News and Features
Helium lifts new quantum computing concept

A team led by Jacob Covey, who is part of Q-NEXT and is an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago, laid out a new concept that could turn helium’s light weight into the next generation of quantum computers. The design relies on helium-3, an isotope with different quantum properties than the helium-4 used to cool MRI machines and fill party balloons. Once built, the computer could use high-powered lasers as “optical tweezers” to capture and control individual atoms of helium. Read More
September 8, 2026, News and Features
Researchers make materials that support quantum technology

Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who are part of Q-NEXT are engineering material systems that support quantum technology. Chris Anderson and his team are developing materials for quantum transduction — the conversion of quantum information from one form to another. Elizabeth Goldschmidt, Daniel Shoemaker, and colleagues are developing quantum memory technology that stores quantum information for extended periods of time. Read More
August 18, 2026, News and Features
Q-NEXT-developed open-source software receives 2026 R&D 100 award

SeQUeNCe, a free, open-source software developed by Argonne scientists with Q-NEXT support, is one of seven Argonne projects that received a 2026 R&D 100 Award. The SeQUeNCe software lets researchers test how quantum networks might work before building them. Read More
August 11, 2026, News and Features
Researchers generate spontaneous magnons that synchronize with external signals

Researchers at Argonne and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign demonstrate a method for generating stable ripples in magnetic materials called magnons. The work opens avenues for information processing in microelectronics and quantum devices. Read More