Context:
India’s first Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager is being developed by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-Bombay) in a strategic collaboration with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
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- The collaboration between TCS and IIT-Bombay is aligned with the National Quantum Mission — an initiative by the Government of India to position the nation as a global quantum technology leader.
National Quantum Mission (NQM) from 2023-24 to 2030-31, aiming to seed, nurture, and scale up scientific and industrial R&D and create a vibrant & innovative ecosystem in Quantum Technology (QT). - This collaboration aims to develop a quantum imaging platform for the non-destructive examination of chips.
About Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager (QDMI)
- It is an advanced sensing tool for semiconductor chip imaging, that helps reduce the chances of chip failures and improves the efficiency of electronic devices.
- It can image magnetic fields, enabling a non-invasive and non-destructive mapping of semiconductor chips, like Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at a hospital.
- It uses the Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centres (defects in a diamond’s structure) and the other hardware and software for detecting and characterizing anomalies in semiconductor chips.
Objectives of QDMI
- To revolutionize semiconductor imaging by enabling the ability to detect chips such as current leakages and visualize three-dimensional charge flow in multi-layer chips.
- It enhances diagnostic capabilities for failure analysis, device development, and optimization processes.
- To unlock new levels of precision in the examination of semiconductor chips,
- It enables better quality control of semiconductor chips, thereby improving electrical device’s product reliability, safety, and energy efficiency.
Application of QDMI
- It can be widely used in microelectronics, biological, geological imaging, and fine-scale imaging of magnetic fields, among others.
What is Semiconductor?
- A semiconductor is a material product with some of the properties of both insulators and conductors. They are made from pure elements, typically silicon or germanium, or compounds such as gallium arsenide.
- Semiconductor chips are essential to all modern electronic devices, making them smart and efficient.
- Semiconductor’s ability to process data and complete tasks, these chips act as the brains of devices across industries such as communications, computing, healthcare, military systems, transportation, and clean energy.
The Second Quantum Revolution
- The Second Quantum Revolution is progressing at an unprecedented speed, making it imperative to pool our resources and expertise to build cutting-edge capabilities in sensing, computing, and communication technologies.
- Whereas, the first revolution enabled inventions such as the laser and transistor, the basic building blocks of computers, when scientists knew the rules of quantum mechanics and built devices that followed those rules.