Element Six Participates in EC Research Programme Into Quantum Information

Element Six Participates in EC Research Programme Into Quantum Information

March 26, 2007

    ASCOT, England, March 26 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Element
Six Ltd (E6) is taking part in a major European Commission
(EC) funded project aimed at developing new technologies
for quantum computing. Researchers world-wide are
interested in developing practical ways of making quantum
computers since they have the potential to bring dramatic
improvements in computer performance and information
processing.

    The project in which E6 is involved is called
"Engineered Quantum Information in Nanostructured
Diamond" or "EQUIND," and has the aim of
establishing whether specific optical features identified
in diamond can be used as the basic elements for quantum
computers and single-photon sources. The three year project
starts in 2007 and is part of the "FET Open Funding
Programme," aimed at studying the potential of future
and emerging technologies that may have an impact on
society or industry.

    EQUIND brings together eight groups of leading
researchers from academia and industry and will be
co-ordinated by the Ecole Normale Superieure de Cachan,
near Paris. The other partners are the Universities of
Bristol and Warwick in the UK, Stuttgart and Kiel
Universities in Germany, the Academy of Science in Belarus,
and the University of Melbourne in Australia. The consortium
combines expertise in two different fields -- diamond
material processing and quantum information processing.
Steve Coe, Operations Manager at E6 says, "We believe
that this is the first time such a group of researchers has
been formed in Europe and could enhance Europe's leadership
in this field of enabling technology."

    The EQUIND consortium will have access to the best
available synthetic diamond material, for example,
ultra-high purity single crystal diamond made by chemical
vapour deposition, developed by E6 for a range of advanced
engineering applications. The material gives EQUIND a
strong base to develop diamond structures with the unique
properties demanded by quantum computing.

    Element Six is the world leader in the production of
all forms of synthetic diamond for industrial use. Element
Six has pioneered the development of CVD diamond technology
since the 1980s, with a world-renowned research centre at
Ascot dedicated to this activity. CVD diamond opens up many
new application areas outside the traditional abrasive uses
of synthetic diamond. Uses of CVD diamond include laser
exit windows, cutting tools, surgical blades, windows for
high-power gyrotrons, heat-spreaders for electronic
devices, as well as active electronic devices.


    For more information, please contact:

     Christopher Ogilvie Thompson
     Commercial Development Manager
     Element Six Ltd
     Tel:   [phone]
     Fax:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]