Operation

The Quantum Engineering Center operates at the interface between science, engineering and technology. It combines and harnesses the expertise of experienced scientists and engineers to fulfill the challenging demands of running large complexity, extensible quantum coherent devices. This is achieved by a concerted effort of engineers and scientists with an engineering focus supported by a strong group of technicians.

The Quantum Engineering Center addresses tasks which are beyond the scope and abilities of individual research groups in quantum science and technology. It provides and maintains the expertise required for advanced and long term technical developments in a number of key areas. It also provides the level of continuity and knowledge management demanded for the development of complex novel technologies. The projects pursued by the Quantum Engineering Center are chosen to optimally fulfill the aforementioned goals.

The know-how and the engineering capabilities of the Quantum Engineering Center are used directly by PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in the affiliated research groups. Members of the affiliated groups contribute to the technology development of the Quantum Engineering Center. In this way the center stimulates interactions between research groups and enables cross-fertilization and efficient use of the developed technologies over a ide range of research groups and across different disciplines.

The Quantum Engineering Center allows for efficient use of resources to develop new quantum technologies beneficial for systems ranging from photons to atoms to circuits. It is a great asset to start up novel quantum engineering projects and is accessible to a wide range of new and existing faculty developing quantum coherent technologies.

The Quantum Engineering Center not only addresses challenges of immediate relevance for research groups at ETH aiming at developing quantum coherent technologies but also develops and promotes activities of its own. The investment into the center is leveraged by external KTI, SNF, EU or international grants in the context of quantum engineering, science and technologies. These grants have a technical quantum engineering focus and are run by ETH faculty and also by senior QEC scientific or engineering staff. This provides a viable avenue for the Quantum Engineering Center to maximize its impact on science and technology and to access international networking opportunities and supplementary funding.