Superconducting thin films form the backbone of today’s superconducting quantum computer technology, which is currently undergoing rapid commercialization. Increases in computing power and qubit performance were driven by developments in qubit design and packaging. Despite the common knowledge on the influence of the used materials on the qubit performance, investigations of the relation between material properties and SQC performance was, however, left untouched for many years.

Recent results demonstrate that the use of new materials as a base layer for superconducting qubits can lead to significantly enhanced performance (1). Moreover, the use of various materials characterization techniques facilitates a microscopic identification of loss channels that have an deteriorating effect on the qubit performance (2). Our latest work, carried out with our collaborators at CU Boulder, indicates that further significant advancements in qubit performance will require a radically new approach to minimise losses at the base layer surface (3).

To this end, we are fabricating and characterising superconducting thin films made from various materials for the application in superconducting quantum computation. Through our active collaboration with our industry partner IQM from Finland, our insights lead to direct impact on commercial quantum computing platforms.