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FETOPEN “SuperGate” funded with a €3M european project

From March 2021, SQEL is going to start a new research and innovation project SuperGate “Gate Tuneable Superconducting Quantum Electronics”, funded by the European Commission under the HORIZON-2020 FETOPEN program.

The project’s goal is to combine the powerful and energy-efficient superconductor technology with existing semiconductor technology and is based on the path-breaking discovery by the SQEL team that the superconductors can be controlled via electric field effect.

SuperGate is coordinated by the University of Konstanz and, apart from SQEL team institutes CNR-NANO and Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, involves CNR-SPIN, University of Salerno, Budapest University of Technology and Economics (HU), Delft University of Technology (NL), Chalmers University of Technology (SE) and SeeQC (IT).

The ultimate goal of SuperGate is to develop a new outperforming technology for superconducting logics that is completely based on electric field effect. The proposed technology promises a disruptive impact and radical transformations in the long term both in the world of supercomputing and concerning the design of innovative devices for quantum technologies.

Read more at the CNR-NANO press release.

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SQEL project TERASEC funded with an ERC PoC grant

SQEL project TERASEC funded with an ERC PoC grant SQEL project TERASEC funded with an ERC PoC grant

Among the 76 recipients of the ERC Proof of Concept grants – third round 2019, the TERASEC project will develop an innovative device for the detection of security threats of European citizens and infrastructures

The researcher will receive a €150,000 grant to explore the innovation potential of its project and bring the results closer to market: the goal of the project is to deliver an unrivalled novel security scanner device leveraging harmless THz waves, that widely overpasses the accuracy performances of all the conventional systems, thus contributing to the safety of European citizens and the security of sensitive infrastructures. 

The objectives of TERASEC project entail the activities aimed at pre-commercial validation of the technological performances and market potential of a novel device for the detection of security threats, such as weapons, explosives, drugs etc.”

says F. Giazotto, SQEL and TERASEC principal investigator

The functionality of the system is enabled through combination of superconducting and ferromagnetic materials that delivers frequency selective THz sensors showing unprecedented sensitivity (single-photon resolution), fast response time, high dynamic range, and low noise-equivalent-power. 

Specifically, starting from the outstanding outcomes reached so far, the capacity of the TERASEC system to detect the above threats with given level of accuracy, range and selectivity will be verified in accordance with the requirements of prospect users, to be collected during the project implementation. Moreover, a detailed market, IPR and regulatory compliance study will be carried out, in order to enable smooth implementation of TERASEC in the complicated context of the public security market. To enhance this, an advisory board gathering Key opinion leaders of the sector will be secured and involved into project activity throughout all the project duration. In parallel, comprehensive communication strategy addressing all the stakeholders of the relevant value chain will be rolled out, with strong focus on prospect consumers and users, so to ensuring market traction.”