Democratizing access to Quantum limited microwave parametric AMPlifiers

Objective

Amplifiers are essential in science and technology – they are needed to overcome the detection threshold of sensors, like antennas, detectors or even our ears. When a signal is weak or generated at a distance, amplification becomes necessary. However, amplification adds noise, and if noise exceeds the signal, detection becomes impossible or needs heavy post-processing, limiting applications that rely on weak signals or high sensitivity. Over the last century, amplifiers have evolved to reduce noise, from vacuum tubes to transistors. More recently, quantum technologies exploiting the laws of quantum mechanics to outperform their classic counterparts, have emerged. In this fast-growing field, traditional low-noise amplifiers still add too much noise and do not suit scalable cryogenic platforms. Quantum-limited microwave amplifiers, which add minimal noise, are key instruments in quantum computing, radio astronomy, and particle physics. Despite their central importance, the availability of quantum-limited amplifiers remains severely constrained by fabrication complexity, limited reproducibility, and poor scalability. Current commercially available traveling-wave parametric amplifiers (TWPAs) rely predominantly on electron-beam lithography, a slow and costly technique incompatible with large-scale production and industrial deployment. This represents a fundamental bottleneck in the democratization and technological maturation of quantum-limited microwave amplification. This project proposes a novel fabrication method using Deep Ultraviolet Lithography (DUV) – an industry-standard, scalable process – to produce better-performing TWPAs at lower cost and larger volumes. By using DUV, the goal is to create high-performance amplifiers with minimal noise, pushing the boundaries of quantum-limited amplification and enhancing high gain with the aim to have a ready-for-market TWAP by the project's end.