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Silvano de Franceschi - Winner of the Stars of Europe Award


Created by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the Stars of Europe trophy rewards the European commitment of French research teams, the scientific quality and the international dimension of the projects. Silvano de Franceschi, a researcher at the Irig and coordinator of the MOS-QUITO project completed in 2019, is the winner of the Stars of Europe, an annual award from the European Union's research and innovation program (Horizon 2020).

Published on 13 January 2021
MOS-QUITO aimed to develop large-scale silicon technology for future quantum processors. The objective was to create a new generation of quantum processors using existing industrial CMOS production lines. The team also studied the possibility of developing CMOS electronics capable of operating at very low temperature and serving as control for quantum processors.

MOS-QUITO has been particularly successful, with a total of 55 publications and seven patents filed. In addition to studying the first CMOS quantum bit technology, researchers have published proof-of-concept demonstrations of several cryo-CMOS circuits with various functionalities. This work is essential for developing large-scale quantum computers because the information stored in qubits can rapidly degrade if they are not cooled to near absolute zero temperatures.

MOS-QUITO's work continues today through two projects: an ERC Synergy grant (QuCube) and a flagship quantum technology project (QLSI).

The "Stars of Europe" award recognizes French teams that have chosen Europe to develop their research and open up to innovation. Its 2020 edition awarded 12 European project coordinators, led by research organizations, universities and industrialists.

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