Modular Approach to Creating Functionalized Surface Arrays of Molecular Qubits

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) Vol. 35; no. 10; pp. e2208998 - n/a
• Main Authors: Tesi, Lorenzo, Stemmler, Friedrich, Winkler, Mario, Liu, Sherri S. Y., Das, Saunak, Sun, Xiuming, Zharnikov, Michael, Ludwigs, Sabine, van Slageren, Joris
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.03.2023
• Subjects: Chemical synthesis; click chemistry; electron paramagnetic resonance; Functional groups; Materials science; modular platforms; Monolayers; Particle spin; quantum bits; qubits; Qubits (quantum computing); self‐assembled monolayers; Spin dynamics; TEMPO; Thin films; electron paramagnetic resonance; quantum bits; qubits; click chemistry; TEMPO; modular platforms; self-assembled monolayers
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202208998

The quest for developing quantum technologies is driven by the promise of exponentially faster computations, ultrahigh performance sensing, and achieving thorough understanding of many‐particle quantum systems. Molecular spins are excellent qubit candidates because they feature long coherence times, are widely tunable through chemical synthesis, and can be interfaced with other quantum platforms such as superconducting qubits. A present challenge for molecular spin qubits is their integration in quantum devices, which requires arranging them in thin films or monolayers on surfaces. However, clear proof of the survival of quantum properties of molecular qubits on surfaces has not been reported so far. Furthermore, little is known about the change in spin dynamics of molecular qubits going from the bulk to monolayers. Here, a versatile bottom‐up method is reported to arrange molecular qubits as functional groups of self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) on surfaces, combining molecular self‐organization and click chemistry. Coherence times of up to 13 µs demonstrate that qubit properties are maintained or even enhanced in the monolayer. A novel method to create 2D arrays of molecular spin qubits is reported. The quantum properties are retained and the quantum coherence times are improved compared to bulk conditions.