Frequency Programmable Resonators

Superconducting resonators are key building blocks of superconducting qubits and Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs). Over the last 20 years significant effort has gone in to understanding and optimizing their properties, leading to an explosion in quantum sensing science exemplified by the recent discovery of new substellar companions with MKIDs. Most of the resonator-related work in the field has focused on improving the internal quality factor (increasing qubit coherence times) of these superconducting resonators, and great progress has been made in this area. However, to scale to a large number of qubits or to fit more MKIDs on a microwave feedline we must not only maximize the resonator quality factor but make sure that resonators are repeatably at their design frequency so they do not interfere with one another. In this proposal we will pursue a new method to permanently program resonator frequencies using magnetic fields without adding extra wires or significant complexity, vastly simplifying the tuning process and enabling scalable quantum computers and megapixel MKID arrays from the mm to the X-ray.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.