TCS, IIT Bombay to build India’s first quantum diamond microchip imager

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) said on Tuesday it will work with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) to develop the country’s first Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager, a tool to check the quality of semiconductors.

It “images” magnetic fields for a non-invasive and non-destructive mapping of semiconductor chips, like a magnetic resonance imaging machine at a hospital. The collaboration between the information technology services (IT) company and IIT Bombay “is aligned” with the government’s National Quantum Mission to make India a global quantum technology leader, said a statement.

“The Second Quantum Revolution is progressing at an unprecedented speed, making it imperative to pool our resources and expertise to build cutting-edge capabilities in sensing, computing, and communication technologies,” said Harrick Vin, chief technology officer at TCS.

“Our collaboration with IIT Bombay is perfectly aligned with the National Quantum Mission’s Quantum Sensing and Metrology vertical. We firmly believe this initiative will have a transformative impact on various industries and society, with applications ranging from electronics to healthcare, and beyond. By working together, we can drive innovation and create a brighter future for all,” he said.

The tool will “unlock new levels” of precision in examining semiconductor chips, reducing chip failures and improving the energy efficiency of electronic devices, said TCS in the statement.

In the next two years, TCS experts will work with Dr Kasturi Saha, associate professor in the department of electrical engineering at IIT Bombay, to develop the quantum imaging platform in the PQuest Lab.

“…IIT Bombay is excited to collaborate with TCS on developing a quantum imaging platform for the non-destructive examination of chips, leveraging our extensive expertise in quantum sensing to drive innovation. By working together, we aim to transform various sectors, including electronics and healthcare, and propel India forward through groundbreaking technologies and products aligned with National Quantum Mission’s Quantum Sensing and Metrology vertical,” said Saha.

The tool strengthens quality control of semiconductor chips to improve product reliability, safety, and energy efficiency of electrical devices.

“IIT Bombay has a wide and deep pool of expertise in different critical domains, and we are keen to collaborate with industry to translate the ideas, innovations, and research into the technologies and products through such collaborations as well as startups that will take India ahead,” said Prof Shireesh Kedare, director, IIT Bombay.

As semiconductors become smaller, traditional sensing methods cannot be used to detect anomalies. The Quantum Diamond Microchip Imager can image magnetic fields, enabling a non-invasive and non-destructive mapping of semiconductor chips, much like an MRI at a hospital. It uses the defects in a diamond’s structure, known as nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres, together with the other hardware and software for detecting and characterizing anomalies in semiconductor chips.