IIT-B collaborates with TCS to build India’s first quantum diamond microchip imaging device, ET Telecom

Mumbai: IIT Bombay on Tuesday said it has partnered with the country’s largest IT services provider TCS to build India’s first quantum diamond microchip imaging device. The quantum diamond microchip imaging device can image magnetic fields, enabling non-invasive and non-destructive mapping of semiconductor chips, similar to MRI in a hospital, an official statement said, adding that the technology is essential given the challenges of detecting anomalies with traditional methods detection due to the decreasing size of semiconductors. It said an indigenous quantum diamond microchip imager that integrates quantum diamond microscopy with artificial intelligence/machine learning-based software imaging will help India advance in the quantum revolution.

It will be an advanced detection tool that can open a new level of precision in semiconductor chip testing, reduce chip failures and improve the energy efficiency of electronic devices, he added in a statement.

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All modern electronic devices contain semiconductor chips, and the work of both partners over the next two years is aimed at making these devices more reliable, safe and energy-efficient, he said. With the ability to process data and perform tasks, chips act as the brains of devices in a variety of industries such as communications, computing, healthcare, military systems, transportation, and clean energy, among others.

Experts from TCS will work with Kasturi Saha, associate professor at a leading technology institute, to develop a quantum imaging platform at the PQuest lab.

Saha said both partners will work on a quantum imaging platform for non-destructive examination of chips, leveraging their expertise in quantum sensing to drive innovation.

“Working together, we aim to transform various sectors, including electronics and healthcare, and take India forward with breakthrough technologies and products aligned with the quantum sensing and metrology vertical of the National Quantum Mission,” he added.

TCS Chief Technology Officer Harrick Vin said the “second quantum revolution” is advancing at an unprecedented speed, making it imperative to pool resources and expertise to create cutting-edge capabilities in sensing, data processing and communication.

“We strongly believe that this initiative will have a transformative impact across industries and society, spanning applications from electronics to healthcare and beyond,” Vin added.

The statement said TCS and IIT-B have been collaborating on various initiatives since the 1990s, explaining that the imager uses defects in the diamond structure, called nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers, along with other hardware and software to detect and characterizing anomalies in semiconductor systems.

“These diagnostic capabilities will have significant implications for failure analysis, device development and various optimization processes. With advanced capabilities to identify chip defects such as current leakage and enable visualization of three-dimensional charge flow in multilayer chips, the quantum diamond microchip imager is a step forward in semiconductor imaging,” it said.

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