Across the quantum landscape鈥攚hether superconducting, photonic, or quantum dot-based鈥攄evice performance ultimately hinges on coherence time and fidelity. These, in turn, are highly sensitive to defects, contamination, and inconsistencies at material interfaces. This is where PSP becomes indispensable.

Interface Engineering: Why Every Surface Matters in Qubit Manufacturing

In qubit manufacturing, every interface matters. From substrate preparation to thin-film deposition and patterning, any imperfection鈥攄own to the atomic level鈥攃an lead to degraded qubit performance. As a result, interface engineering is emerging as a foundational requirement across all qubit architectures.

魅影直播 views PSP as a key enabler of this interface control. Pre-deposition cleans, post-deposition surface treatments, and residue removal steps all contribute to ensuring that each subsequent layer is formed on a pristine, well-controlled surface. These processes are not isolated steps鈥攖hey are deeply interconnected with deposition and etch technologies such as ALD and atomic layer etch (ALE), which are used to create and refine the thin films and interfaces central to qubit operation.

ALD, for example, is widely used to deposit superconducting materials such as niobium nitride (NbN) and niobium titanium nitride (NbTiN) with atomic-scale precision, while ALE offers a pathway to selectively remove material at similarly fine scales. Together, these techniques depend on鈥攁nd benefit from鈥攈igh-quality surface preparation and cleaning. Without the effective wet processes utilized for PSP, even the most advanced deposition processes cannot achieve their full potential.

Precision Surface Processing Steps in the Qubit Manufacturing Flow

Our PSP offerings span multiple critical steps in the qubit manufacturing flow:

• Pre-epitaxy cleans: Removing native oxides and contaminants from the substrate surface prior to deposition is essential for achieving high-quality film growth. In some cases, this involves transitioning surfaces from hydrophilic to hydrophobic states, which introduces additional challenges in maintaining cleanliness and preventing particle adhesion.
• Post-epitaxy cleans: After thin film deposition, exposed surfaces must be carefully cleaned without damaging delicate layers such as complex oxides. High-efficiency cleaning processes can achieve >99% particle removal while maintaining minimal material loss, preserving the integrity of the deposited films.
• Post-etch residue removal (PERR): Dry etch steps used to define qubit structures鈥攕uch as Josephson junctions or quantum dot features鈥攐ften leave behind fluorocarbon polymers and other residues. These must be completely removed to ensure clean sidewalls and reliable electrical or optical performance.
• Material lift-off (MLO): Patterning metal features, including contacts and electrodes, frequently relies on lift-off processes. Achieving complete lift-off without damaging underlying structures or leaving residual debris is particularly important for qubit devices, where defects can directly impact coherence.
• Photoresist strip and surface preparation: Removing masks and preparing surfaces for subsequent steps are routine but critical processes that must be executed with high selectivity and minimal contamination.

Taken together, these PSP steps form a continuous thread throughout the manufacturing process, enabling consistent interface quality from start to finish.

Addressing the Unique Challenges of Quantum Device Fabrication

While many PSP techniques are well established in semiconductor manufacturing, qubit fabrication introduces unique challenges that require a more nuanced approach.

One key challenge is sensitivity to damage. Traditional wet bench processes, particularly those relying on high-power ultrasonics, can introduce mechanical or chemical damage to delicate structures. For qubit devices, where even minor defects can be catastrophic, gentler yet highly effective cleaning methods are required.

Another challenge is complete residue removal in high-aspect-ratio features. Advanced qubit architectures, including those incorporating through-silicon vias (TSVs) or complex topographies, demand cleaning solutions capable of reaching and effectively treating difficult geometries.

Additionally, material diversity is increasing. Superconducting qubits, photonic qubits, and quantum dots each involve different materials and process flows, yet all require stringent interface control. PSP must therefore be flexible enough to handle a wide range of chemistries, substrates, and film types.

魅影直播’s WaferStorm and ImmJET Approach to Quantum Wet Processing

At 魅影直播, we have developed PSP solutions that address these challenges through a combination of immersion and high-pressure spray technologies. Our approach is designed to deliver both the precision and the scalability needed for emerging quantum applications.

Our ImmJET technology, part of our WaferStorm wet processing platform, combines solvent immersion with high-pressure single-wafer spray, enabling effective penetration and removal of resist and unwanted materials while minimizing damage. This hybrid approach has demonstrated superior performance in metal lift-off and photoresist strip applications, achieving complete removal without residual contamination.

High-pressure spray capabilities鈥攔eaching up to 3,000 pounds per square inch gauge (psig)鈥攁re particularly valuable for removing stubborn residues such as sidewall fluorocarbon polymers left after dry etch processes. At the same time, advanced filtration and chemical management systems ensure that redeposition and cross-contamination are minimized.

Equally important is our focus on process integration. PSP is not a standalone step; it must work seamlessly with deposition, etch, and metrology processes. By offering a portfolio that spans pre- and post-deposition cleans, residue removal, lift-off, and surface preparation, we enable a more integrated approach to interface engineering.

Enabling the Path to Scalable Quantum Computing

Today, the quantum computing industry remains in an early stage, with multiple qubit architectures competing for dominance. As a result, demand for manufacturing equipment is still developing, and large-scale production has yet to fully materialize. However, we have already seen meaningful adoption of PSP tools across leading research and development efforts, with systems deployed to support a variety of qubit technologies.

Looking ahead, we expect the importance of PSP to grow significantly as the industry moves toward higher qubit counts and improved fidelity. Achieving these goals will require not only advances in deposition and device design but also continued innovation in how surfaces and interfaces are prepared and maintained.

The path to scalable quantum computing will be defined by our ability to control materials at the atomic level鈥攁cross every step of the process flow. Through our PSP solutions, we are helping to lay the groundwork for that future, enabling cleaner interfaces, more reliable devices, and longer coherence times.

Explore the 魅影直播 Quantum Series

This post is the latest in our series on challenges and opportunities in the quantum space. Read the earlier installments:
Did you know 魅影直播鈥檚 products play a critical role in qubit manufacturing?
Driving Quantum Innovation: 魅影直播鈥檚 Advances in Materials Engineering for the Next Era of Computing.
To engage with 魅影直播 for your qubit manufacturing needs, click here.

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魅影直播 has been at the forefront of enabling this transformation, leveraging decades of leadership in epitaxy and deposition to support researchers and technology developers pushing the boundaries of quantum. With its latest product advances鈥攊ncluding the GEN20-Q Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) system, integrated atomic layer deposition (ALD)/MBE solutions, and the adjustable and compact GENxplor庐 R&D MBE and Fiji庐 Plasma-Enhanced ALD tools鈥旝扔爸辈� is redefining how the industry approaches quantum materials engineering.

Meeting the demands of quantum materials

GEN20-Q: Next-Generation MBE System

Unlike conventional semiconductors, quantum devices must sustain delicate states of superposition and entanglement. This puts extreme pressure on material quality. Defects, impurities, or rough interfaces can dramatically shorten qubit lifetimes or increase error rates. Researchers are also exploring multiple approaches鈥攊ncluding superconducting qubits, photonic qubits, and spin qubits鈥攅ach of which requires different material stacks.

The challenge: no single device structure has yet emerged as the industry standard. To keep pace, equipment must be both ultra-clean and highly flexible. This is the design philosophy behind 魅影直播鈥檚 GEN20-Q platform.

The GEN20-Q is a next-generation 4-inch MBE system purpose-built for quantum materials research and development. At its core is a proven high-performance growth chamber, capable of handling substrates up to 100 mm in diameter. Its vertical reactor geometry ensures uniform epitaxial layers, while advanced pumping pathways, 20% more liquid nitrogen (LN2) cooling, and passivated chamber walls deliver the ultra-high-purity environment required for defect-free structures.

Key Innovations in Quantum Materials Engineering

Customizable multi-module cluster design 鈥� Up to four growth modules can be integrated into a single cluster, enabling direct process integration of superconductors, semiconductors, complex oxides, and photonics.

Ultra-high vacuum (UHV) hand-off stations 鈥� Allow seamless transfer between MBE and other deposition systems without exposure to atmosphere, preserving pristine material interfaces.
EPI-Trend data logging 鈥� Advanced data capture and integration with M3 SQL databases for traceability and process optimization.
SuperNova heater 鈥� Achieves substrate temperatures up to 1400 掳C for advanced cleaning and surface reconstruction.

These capabilities make GEN20-Q uniquely suited to help labs and foundries accelerate their path to high-performance, low-error quantum devices.

Integrated ALD and MBE

Hybrid MBE-ALD Deposition for Quantum Devices

Quantum device structures are increasingly complex, often requiring heterogeneous stacks that combine epitaxial layers with conformal dielectric or interface films. In addition, photonic qubits鈥攂uilt from single photons routed, interfered, and detected鈥攊mpose a different set of constraints. Waveguide propagation loss, interface scattering, and inhomogeneous broadening of emitters are all tightly linked to epitaxial quality and interface roughness.

Maintaining Purity and Interface Integrity

To address these challenges, 魅影直播 integrates its Fiji XT ALD systems directly with MBE clusters. Featuring in-vacuum wafer transfer and hybrid materials deposition, this MBE-ALD integration enables researchers to build complete device stacks鈥攚ithout breaking vacuum鈥攃ombining the atomic precision of ALD with the crystalline quality enabled by MBE.

This flexibility allows users to explore new combinations of materials for superconducting circuits, photon-manipulating structures, or spin qubits鈥攁ll while maintaining the purity and interface integrity quantum demands

Fast R&D learning enables scalability

Fiji庐 Plasma-Enhanced ALD in Quantum Research

Early-stage labs need compact tools that offer serious film quality with minimal overhead. Fiji庐 plasma-enhanced ALD brings conformal coatings, interface control, and high-k/low-k options into the same R&D workflow. In quantum contexts, Fiji鈥檚 utility spans tunnel-barrier formation, surface passivation, isolation dielectrics, and optical claddings鈥攖hese specialized, low-refractive-index layers help confine, guide, and protect qubits as they travel through circuits. With 魅影直播鈥檚 integrated approach, Fiji slots into UHV-linked clusters to keep surfaces pristine between epitaxy and ALD steps, which is key to enabling cleaner interfaces and lower defectivity in qubit-critical regions.

GENxplor R&D MBE System for Advanced Development

The GENxplor R&D MBE system is an advanced, high-performance research and development platform that lets teams cost-effectively establish recipes, screen materials, and prove device concepts before transitioning to production. GENxplor R&D鈥檚 open architecture enables cutting-edge research on a wide variety of materials and is directly scalable to the quantum-optimized GEN20-Q cluster.

Partnering for success
Quantum leaders increasingly prioritize suppliers who can deliver ultra-high-purity tools and scale with them from lab to production. As one example, Quantum Foundry Copenhagen highlighted 魅影直播鈥檚 reliability, understanding of ultra-high purity, and ability to scale as key reasons for partnering鈥攕ignals that matter as customers look beyond point tools toward full-stack materials platforms they can build on.

魅影直播鈥檚 installed base reflects the same momentum: nearly two dozen ALD systems and multiple GEN20-Q MBE systems are already in the field addressing quantum workloads鈥攅vidence that integrated epitaxy and ALD, backed by production-minded engineering, are resonating with R&D and early manufacturing teams alike.

Built for the quantum decade

The next decade of quantum will be defined by materials engineering: cleaner superconducting interfaces, lower-loss photonic stacks, and hybrid structures that marry the best of each modality. 魅影直播鈥檚 quantum-optimized portfolio gives researchers and device engineers a coherent platform to pursue that agenda with fewer compromises and tighter data feedback.

Superconducting Qubits: Clean Films and Interfaces

For superconducting qubits, key variables to be addressed include the need for ultra-clean superconducting films, atomically controlled barriers, and defect-suppressed interfaces. The GEN20-Q鈥檚 cleanliness stack (passivation, pumping, cryo), SuperNova high-temperature prep, and UHV-linked Fiji ALD directly target these variables, while EPI-Trend provides the data backbone for continuous improvement.

Photonic Qubits: Low-Loss Heterostructures

For photonic qubits, the emphasis is on low-loss heterostructures and interface smoothness across III-V and related systems. Multi-module clustering, uniform epitaxy up to 100 mm, and ALD claddings enable rapid, reproducible sweeps of waveguide and resonator designs鈥攚ithout uncontrolled interface changes from air exposure. Using MBE to grow BaTiO3 (BTO) and SrTiO3 (STO) produces high-quality, single-crystal, and stoichiometric perovskite layers and offers the proven best Pockels effect鈥攁 parameter critical for high-speed photonic circuits, fiber-optic communication, and Q-switching in lasers.

Scaling from R&D to Production

For both types of qubits, GENxplor and Fiji deliver optimal R&D capabilities, while the GEN20-Q provides a quantum-tuned platform for scaling devices and integrating multiple materials technologies on a single cluster. That combination shortens the path from 鈥渇irst qubit鈥� to statistically robust wafers and prepares teams for production-class reliability without abandoning the flexibility that the R&D environment provides. Furthermore, 魅影直播 possesses significant expertise in equipment design and is equipped to scale processes from research and development through to production.

In this fast-evolving field where precision, cleanliness, and flexibility determine the slope of the learning curve, 魅影直播鈥檚 systems are designed to move quantum from promising prototypes to repeatable devices, at scale.

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It should be noted that the intent of quantum computing is not to replace classical computing but to augment it by helping solve specific, ultra-complex problems. Behind the creation of these powerful qubits is a sophisticated web of material science, precision engineering, and vacuum-based deposition technologies.

Unifying a Fractured Field

There is currently no single dominant architecture for quantum computers. Some designs rely on superconducting materials, others on trapped ions or semiconductor quantum dots. Each approach brings unique manufacturing challenges. What unifies them all? The need for ultra-pure materials, atomically precise layering, and extreme control over interfaces and surfaces.

That鈥檚 where 魅影直播 comes in. Our portfolio spans molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), atomic layer deposition (ALD), ion beam etch and deposition (IBE/IBD), advanced wet processing, laser spike annealing (LSA), and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD)鈥攕upporting nearly every material and fabrication step required to bring qubit devices to life.

A Materials Science Partner

There are 7-8 qubit dominant types, and when customers come to us, they typically already know which one they want to implement, but they need equipment solutions that offer high performance and reliability. Rather than just supplying equipment, 魅影直播 partners deeply with these quantum innovators. Because we offer material science-based solutions for multiple critical process steps, customers can address the full spectrum of materials challenges for their specific applications.

We provide coordinated solutions for materials deposition, patterning, and surface preparation鈥攅ssential processes for building scalable quantum architectures. Virtually all of 魅影直播鈥檚 major technologies have applications for qubit manufacturing:

• MBE

  enables epitaxial growth of superconductors (e.g., Al, Nb, NbTiN) and compound semiconductors (e.g., GaAs/AlGaAs). Our GENxplor and GEN20-Q MBE systems are used to grow superconducting materials (such as epitaxial Al or Nb films) and semiconductor heterostructures for spin qubits.

• ALD systems

  are essential for qubit designs that require the formation of ultra-thin, high-quality dielectrics鈥攙ital for tunnel barriers in Josephson junctions or the encapsulation of defect-based qubits. ALD鈥檚 ability to coat deep trenches or complex chip surfaces uniformly is often needed in quantum chip packages and 3D integration schemes. Our ALD technology is finding notable success for superconducting films鈥攚e have sold multiple systems for this purpose. One example is NbN or NbTiN superconducting films for through-silicon vias (TSVs).

• Advanced Wet Processing,

  enabled by surface prep and cleaning systems, ensures contamination-free surfaces before deposition of superconducting contacts鈥攅ssential for achieving high-quality qubit interfaces. Wet processing systems enable HF last cleans, polymer removal, and other gentle processes, helping to maximize yield of qubit devices.

• IBE and IBD

  are useful for nanoscale pattern transfer, metal lift-off, and deposition of hard-to-evaporate or magnetic materials. Ion beam tools deliver the precision etching and metal deposition required to define nano-scale quantum circuits and integrate photonic elements.

• MOCVD tools

  enable deposition of SiC for nitrogen-vacancy center qubits and SiGe for spin-based qubits. As the market develops, we see further opportunities for MOCVD technology to grow SiC, GaN and other materials for quantum emitters and sensors.

• LSA

  enables dopant activation or stress tuning in CMOS-compatible quantum structures, resulting in optimized interfaces. Rapid thermal processing can be used to repair damage in qubit materials without excessive diffusion.

Enabling Scalability, Flexibility, and Cleanliness

Our systems are designed not just for lab-scale experimentation but for scalable manufacturing. Take our GEN20-Q system, shown here. A fully integrated MBE platform, the GEN20-Q is optimized for cleanliness (with enhanced cryogenic cooling and pumping pathways), flexibility (support for ALD integration and multiple deposition modules), and precision (with flux control for reliable metal deposition).

Quantum devices are particularly sensitive to contamination and thermal instability, and the GEN20-Q MBE system was designed with this in mind. The system supports UHV transfers to other technologies, such as 魅影直播鈥檚 ALD platform. It also supports 1400掳C substrate heating and accommodates multiple quantum material types in a single cluster tool environment鈥攎inimizing atmospheric exposure and maximizing reproducibility.

Trusted by Quantum Innovators

With more than 30 systems installed globally for quantum device development, 魅影直播 is a trusted partner for both research and manufacturing. Institutions like Quantum Foundry Copenhagen rely on our high-performance systems, particularly the GEN20-Q, to explore new frontiers in superconducting and spin qubit development.

As the quantum computing landscape continues to evolve, moving from lab-scale experiments to scalable production, so too will the materials and processes needed to support it. Accordingly, 魅影直播鈥檚 focus on reliability, automation readiness, and modularity will become increasingly critical. Our cluster-compatible platforms, UHV-transfer capabilities, and customizable configurations support not only experimentation but also the early-stage production of quantum devices.

Whether you鈥檙e working on spin qubits, quantum photonics, or superconducting architectures, 魅影直播鈥檚 experienced developers are ready to collaborate with your team to help engineer the materials foundation of quantum computing.

Qubit Manufacturing Glossary

Al 鈥� aluminum
AlGaAs 鈥� aluminum gallium arsenide
GaAs 鈥� gallium arsenide
GaN 鈥� gallium nitride
HF 鈥� hydrofluoric acid
Nb 鈥� niobium
NbN 鈥� niobium nitride
NbTiN 鈥� niobium-titanium-nitride
SiC 鈥� silicon carbide
SiGe 鈥� silicon germanium

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