Taiwan-based semiconductor foundry—the largest chip developer in the world—TSMC, has accepted Australian semiconductor company Archer Materials (ASX: AXE) as their customer. This exciting development means that Archer will be able to access some of the most advanced semiconductor fabrication process in the world to help service and support the build out of its quantum technologies.

It means that Archer can develop its qubit processor chips with the luxury of access to the manufacturing capabilities used in making most of the world’s mobile devices, like smartphones.  Contractual relationships with TSMC will be on a case-by-case basis, but the possibilities are endless.

Archer Materials is well-capitalised, with approximately A$24.3 million in cash and no debt. As announced today in a progress update, the Company is making significant progress with their 12CQ quantum technology development, which is aimed at creating a qubit-based semiconductor chip for applications in mobile devices, among other electronics.

Company CEO Dr Mohammad Choucair said, “Archer is making considerable progress across several fronts in 12CQ technology development. The Company’s technical achievements are providing a strong basis for pursuing external engagement with tier-one semiconductor companies.”

One of the exciting developments from the progress update is the move to multi-scale wafer fabrication process for quantum electronic devices. Archer staff, working at a Sydney-based prototyping semiconductor foundry, have developed a method combining UV optical and electron-beam (E-beam) lithography to facilitate the fabrication of hundreds of advanced quantum electronic devices on a single silicon wafer. This will greatly increase the yield of quantum electronic devices that are being developed and optimised to address Archer’s technological goals of quantum control and readout in the 12CQ chip-based qubit system.

This is important because Archer is showing it is leap-frogging its technology from the sluggish E-beam lithographic methods used in prototyping labs to the processes that make more sense for industrial scale fabrication in semiconductor foundries like TSMC. It will inevitably need to do this if it wants to realise its goal of having its tech in more than a few hundred devices.

Archer continues to take pragmatic action as a result of the sector scarcity of available and accessible world-class facilities and people to perform the sophisticated quantum measurements required for 12CQ chip development.

Recently, the Archer team has been establishing its own, customised laboratory facility, for the electronic characterisation of its quantum electronic devices, while in tandem securing access to a local state-of-the-art cryogenic quantum device measurement laboratory.

Building a semiconductor foundry however is not feasible for many in the world, as these types of facilities cost upwards of US$10 billion.

Archer is also drawing on its long-standing collaboration with researchers at the prestigious EPFL in Switzerland to develop second-generation, unique integrated chip designs for the potential complex spin manipulation of Archer’s qubit material.

With the labs, foundries and people in place the company has commenced technical programs necessary to advance the development towards qubit readout and control mechanisms in Archer’s chip-based quantum logic devices.

All in all, the future is looking bright for Archer Materials and the world of quantum technology. The company’s recent update supports significant progress in the development of its innovative 12CQ technology through 2023. The Company’s focus remains sharply on quantum work and related semiconductor operations, and they continue to advance methodically towards their ambitious goals.