June 20, 2024 -- The U.S. National Science Foundation today announced a $20 million grant to CU Boulder to launch a facility known as the National Quantum Nanofab (NQN). In this facility, Colorado researchers and quantum specialists from around the country will be able to design and build incredibly small devices that tap into the world of atoms and photons—the tiny packets of energy that make up light.

Principal Investigator Scott Diddams, professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, alongside a team of physicists and engineers, will lead the realization of this maker space. Diddams said it will help transform discoveries from the quantum world into technologies and devices that can have greater impact on society, and shore up a rapidly growing sector of Colorado’s economy.

Diddams noted that it will take about five years to build the facility: a clean room and nanofabrication tools housed in a new annex to the Sustainable, Energy and Environment Laboratory (SEEL) building on CU Boulder’s East Campus. It will be supported and connected to the existing Colorado Shared Instrumentation in Nanofabrication and Characterization (COSINC) characterization and cleanroom facilities. The space will be sealed up tight to prevent dust or other contaminants from damaging those sensitive technologies, and anyone entering will need to wear a clean room “bunny suit,” shoe covers and more.

Once the facility is complete, users from CU Boulder, Colorado industry and government labs and from across the United States, will be able to employ the various nanofabrication tools to begin creating new technologies. These may include the core integrated components of clocks that can keep time based on the “ticking” of atoms or quantum computer chips that may outperform the fastest computers on the market today.

"This new facility will significantly enhance CU Boulder's quantum ecosystem by offering access to fabrication facilities that are unparalleled in the nation,” said Massimo Ruzzene, vice chancellor for Research and Innovation and dean of the institutes at CU Boulder. “This award further acknowledges the intellectual leadership of our quantum researchers, and the resulting facility will be transformational in terms of translating quantum discoveries into impactful technologies."

The facility will help produce something else: quantum savvy people. The space will provide students from CU Boulder and other institutions, including local community colleges, the chance to learn the ins and outs of making nanodevices—feeding Colorado’s growing need for an experienced quantum workforce.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Commerce designated Colorado as a tech hub for quantum technology. In May, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill that will provide access to $74 million in state investment to support the local quantum industry—which will go into effect if Elevate Quantum, a coalition of 120 organizations in the Rocky Mountain West, which includes CU Boulder as a prime contributor, secures a federal implementation grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA).