SILICON CHIP
// macro view // 12mm × 12mm die
1× MAGNIFICATION
// quantum computing //

SILICON
SPIN
QUBITS

How a single electron trapped inside silicon becomes a quantum bit — and why temperature is everything.
↓   scroll to explore   ↓
01 — The Chip
A COMPUTER CHIP, COOLED TO NEAR NOTHING
This is a silicon chip — similar to the ones inside every laptop and phone. But this one has been engineered down to the nanometre scale to hold a new kind of computer: a quantum computer.

The highlighted region is the qubit array — a tiny patch of silicon where individual electrons can be isolated and used as quantum bits.

To work, the chip must be cooled to temperatures colder than outer space. We'll get to why.
02 — Inside the Array
GATES, DOTS AND TRAPPED ELECTRONS
Zooming in, we find rows of metal gate electrodes — gold pads on the silicon surface. When voltage is applied, they push an electric field downward, carving a tiny energy trap in the silicon below.

Each trap is a quantum dot — about 30 nanometres wide. Free electrons drifting across the surface can be pulled inside.

Once trapped, each electron carries a property called spin — it points either up ↑ or down ↓. That spin is your qubit. It can be 0, 1, or — unlike any classical bit — both at once.

But the whole thing only works at exactly the right temperature. Try it yourself →
50 mK
Temperature
0 mK 200 mK
❄ TOO COLD ✦ SWEET SPOT 🔥 TOO HOT
SWEET SPOT
Each dot captures one electron. Spin qubits are stable and ready for quantum operations.
Use the temperature slider and electric field button to explore how silicon spin qubits work.