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- NEC's R&D
- R & D Domains
- Global R & D
- Press Release
- Innovative Engine
- Speech Recognition
- Quality degradation analysis for large-scale networks
- Bioplastics for Electronic Equipment
- Quantum Computer
- What quantum computers can do for us
- What does "quantum" mean?
- Basic principles of quantum computers and differences with existing computers
- Beginnings of quantum computer research
- Qubit solid-state device: 1-bit operation
- Quantum computer operation mechanism
- Qubit solid-state device: Demonstration of a C-NOT circuit
- Demonstration of Coupling-controlled Qubits and Future Outlook
- About Dr. Tsai & Mr. Nakamura
- Carbon Nanotube
- Awards
- Access
Quantum Computer
Beginnings of quantum computer research
I am Yasunobu Nakamura of NEC's Green Innovation Research Laboratories. In this section, I will tell you about NEC's research and development of quantum computers to date and I will also touch upon future issues in this field.
In the beginning, our research targeted an ultra-low-power device that could switch output on and off with a single electron, the so-called single electron transistor. As this research progressed, we came to wonder whether a single electron transistor in a superconducting state could be used to achieve "quantum superposition." At first, however, we did not really have a quantum computer in mind. At the time, in the research field of superconducting devices, it was said that the "quantum mechanical superposition of two different states in an electronic circuit is difficult to achieve." Nevertheless, we decided to challenge that common belief and as a result the existence of a "quantum computer" gradually came into view. (--> Details are given in About Dr. Tsai & Mr. Nakamura)
Finally, in the autumn of 1998, Jaw-Shen Tsai, Yuri Pashkin (currently affiliated with RIKEN), and I successfully demonstrated for the first time in the world the operation of a qubit using a solid-state device thereby overturning the commonly held belief of that time.
