Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAFIn the joint project GrodiaQ, researchers of Fraunhofer IAF are working together with five industrial partners to develop innovative equipment technology and processes to produce high-purity (111)-oriented diamond wafers with at least 4-inch diameter for quantum technology applications. The partners aim to provide NV-doped diamond substrates in industry-grade quality and quantity for the first time, in order to establish a European supply chain for quantum components and thus overcome dependence on a few manufacturers outside the European Union.
Together, the project partners cover the entire value chain: The industrial partners are responsible for the construction of a novel BEN facility for heteroepitaxy of (111)-oriented diamond on 4-inch wafers, the further processing of the substrates, the evaluation of the results with respect to their applications in quantum sensing and quantum computing, and the transfer of the results to the market. Fraunhofer IAF coordinates the project, provides material, expertise and infrastructure to the project partners and develops functional layers for the substrates in a separate subproject in order to make them usable for quantum technology applications.
