Swiss quantum startup proposes ferroelectric FET, extends Series A
Terra Qauntum AG (Rorschach, Switzerland) has published research on a form of ferroelectric negative capacitance field effect transistor and extended its Series A funding round to $75 million.
Terra Quantum was founded in 2019 by CEO Markus Pflitsch and plans to offer quantum computing as a service. The Series A was announced in January 2022 at $60 million and this sum was earmarked for global expansion of the company. Terra Quantum said the additional capital will go towards strengthening its quantum data cryptography and cybersecurity offering.
The company has also recruited Professor Valerii Vinokur as Co-CTO, who was previously a distinguished fellow at Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago.
The company is exploring the physics of ferroelectricity. Terra Quantum’s researchers have demonstrated how ferroelectric materials within a field effect transistor (FET) can show negative capacitance. The ferroelectric FET has proved a popular area of academic research in recent years and is one that is expected to have implications for terahertz sensing and computation
In the 9th issue of Nature Partner Journal: Computational Materials, Terra Quantum researchers propose a design for a ferroelectric nanodots-based negative capacitance field-effect transistor (see The ferroelectric field-effect transistor with negative capacitance).
Seeking enlightenment
Terra Quantum said it would develop neuromorphic spiking neural networks based on ferroelectric logical units that would operate within a multi-bit logic framework. This neuromorphic approach would seek to emulate the spontaneous formation of temporal spikes that synchronize constitutive qubits.
In the case of the human being these temporal spikes represent moments of “enlightenment.” These are a major difference between conventional computers and the human brain, the company said.
It added that using ferroelectric multi-bit logic as a model for qubits would allow Terra Quantum to try and find the topological architectures that enable the formation of the qubit quantum spikes. This in turn would help develop neuromorphic technologies as efficient as the human brain.
Valerii Vinokur, CTO of Terra Quantum said: “Harnessing negative capacitors and leveraging them in electronic circuits paves the way for a new generation of transistors and optoelectronic resonators. These serve as the foundation of key technologies such as computer chips that power everything from cars to medical equipment.”
Related links and articles:
Nature Partner Journal: Computational Materials: The ferroelectric field-effect transistor with negative capacitance
News articles:
Cerfe Labs claims ferroelectric RAM, FET breakthrough
IEDM ferroelectric FET, hafnium oxide round up
SK Hynix backs Germany’s ferroelectric memory startup
Quantum computing produces better semiconductor materials faster
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