The Interdisciplinary Research Institute (IRIG) of CEA Grenoble is opening a permanent position in theoretical and computational physics, focused on the modelling of semiconductor materials and devices for quantum information technologies.

Description

The successful candidate will join a multi-disciplinary team of physicists and engineers whose aim is to develop a scalable quantum processor on silicon. He/She will strengthen the modelling group who is responsible for the theory and simulation of silicon spin qubits, in order to help design the devices, analyse the experiments, understand the physics and explore innovative solutions. He/She will contribute to the ongoing efforts on 1D and 2D arrays of qubits, to the evolution of the simulation tools, and will take the lead on new, ambitious research projects on quantum information technologies.

The successful candidate is expected to work in close connection with the existing quantum silicon team, to supervise the research activity of students and post-docs, and to get involved in the building of new partnerships within the EU. A strong team spirit is therefore required.

Qualifications

Applicants shall have a PhD in physics or related discipline, and are expected to hold a strong record of research achievements in internationally recognized scientific environments. A background in quantum information and dynamics (in semiconductors in particular) as well as an experience in numerical modelling will be highly appreciated.

Scientific environment and context

The position is affiliated with the “Modelling and Exploration of Materials” (MEM) laboratory of IRIG. It is intended to support a growing effort [1-3] carried out with other laboratories in Grenoble (IRIG/PHELIQS, CNRS/Néel for the experiments and CEA/LETI’s industrial scale CMOS facility for the fabrication – see https://www.quantumsilicon-grenoble.eu/), and bringing together complementary expertises in silicon devices technology, quantum physics, cryo-electronics, etc… This research is supported by the EU through different funding programs, including a 14 M€ ERC Synergy grant (quCube).

Modelling is a major challenge for quantum information technologies. It calls for a fine description of materials and devices, down to the atomic scale when needed. Modelling of qubits therefore involves a variety of analytical and numerical methods, ranging from first-principles (ab initio) to semi-empirical approaches such as k.p and tight-binding. The IRIG is developing, in particular, a multi-physics simulation tool called TB_Sim, which is able to describe the structural, electronic and dynamical properties of qubits from the atomistic to the mesoscopic scale (see Refs. [2-6] below for examples).

Located in the French Alps and surrounded by a stunning natural environment, the international city of Grenoble hosts an extremely rich ecosystem formed by public research organizations (CEA, CNRS, ESRF, ILL) and high-tech companies. In addition, the Grenoble Alpes University attracts a large number of students who can benefit from high-level academic training in a broad range of disciplines. In particular, a doctoral training program on quantum engineering was recently established.

How to apply

Applicants shall send a letter of motivation (explaining the connections between their scientific record and the present position), a curriculum vitae, and a list of publications to Yann-Michel Niquet (yniquet@cea.fr), and arrange for two letters of recommendation. The deadline for application is August 25, 2020. Selected candidates will be interviewed in September.

Also see http://www.mem-lab.fr/en/Pages/Jobs/2020_CDI_L_Sim.aspx

References

[1] A CMOS silicon spin qubit,
R. Maurand, X. Jehl, D. Kotekar-Patil, A. Corna, H. Bohuslavskyi, R. Laviéville, L. Hutin, S. Barraud, M. Vinet, M. Sanquer and S. de Franceschi,
Nature Communications 7, 13575 (2016).
[2] Electrically driven electron spin resonance mediated by spin–valley–orbit coupling in a silicon quantum dot,
A. Corna, L. Bourdet, R. Maurand, A. Crippa, D. Kotekar-Patil, H. Bohuslavskyi, R. Laviéville, L. Hutin, S. Barraud, X. Jehl, M. Vinet, S. de Franceschi, Y.-M. Niquet and M. Sanquer,
npj Quantum Information 4, 6 (2018).
[3] Electrical spin driving by g-matrix modulation in spin-orbit qubits,
A. Crippa, R. Maurand, L. Bourdet, D. Kotekar-Patil, A. Amisse, X. Jehl, M. Sanquer, R. Laviéville, H. Bohuslavskyi, L. Hutin, S. Barraud, M. Vinet, Y.-M. Niquet and S. de Franceschi,
Physical Review Letters 120, 137702 (2018).
[4] All-electrical manipulation of silicon spin qubits with tunable spin-valley mixing,
L. Bourdet and Y.-M. Niquet,
Physical Review B 97, 155433 (2018).
[5] Electrical manipulation of semiconductor spin qubits within the g-matrix formalism,
B. Venitucci, L. Bourdet, D. Pouzada and Y.-M. Niquet,
Physical Review B 98, 155319 (2018).
[6] Simple model for electrical hole spin manipulation in semiconductor quantum dots:
Impact of dot material and orientation,
B. Venitucci and Y.-M. Niquet,
Physical Review B 99, 115317 (2019).