Case study: Quantum brain imaging for concussion diagnosis and assessment

Concussion in sport is a matter of growing community concern. While the majority of sport-related concussions are short lived, repeated head trauma is associated with increased risk of degenerative brain diseases.

Concussion is challenging to diagnose. With current clinical methods there is uncertainty about the severity of a given injury, the recovery time and when it is safe for the athlete to return to the field. Consequently, an “if in doubt, sit them out” policy is advocated widely.

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is the best available clinical imaging tool for capturing functional changes in the brain. It not only fills a diagnostic gap, but also provides a pathway for more personalised and safer management of athletes who have suffered a concussion. However, the complexity of the necessary instrumentation means that MEG is only available in a few sophisticated facilities in Australia and requires the patient to remain still.

Researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology (QUBIC) are developing quantum magnetic sensors which will revolutionise the accessibility of MEG, removing much of the complex instrumentation and allowing measurements on people who are in motion. Queensland and Australia have the multiple-domain spanning expertise, infrastructure and industry needed to translate this new quantum technology into on field quantum brain imaging systems.

Queensland has an unparalleled opportunity to showcase our quantum expertise at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games and establish the state as a global leader in the application of deep science to real-world challenges.

Case study: Analog Quantum circuits

Analog Quantum Circuits (AQC) is Queensland’s first quantum technology startup, based on research by Professor Tom Stace and Associate Professor Arkady Fedorov in the ARC Centre of Excellence in Engineered Quantum Systems. In 2023, AQC was awarded The University of Queensland’s Startup of the Year.

AQC is using microelectronics manufacturing techniques to design and build integrated superconducting circuits for microwave signal routing in quantum computers. The components that AQC is developing, including microwave circulators and amplifiers, are based on superconducting electronics. This is the leading hardware platform for quantum computing, being developed by IBM, Google, Amazon Web Services, and others globally. AQC’s miniaturised superconducting circuits provide the interface between the quantum computer and the external controls that make the quantum components work. Practical quantum computers will need these interface components fabricated “on-chip”, as miniaturised arrays of millions of components, integrated adjacent to the quantum processor itself. AQC’s goal is to provide this capability in an integrated superconducting circuit. AQC secured substantial seed funding in 2022 to develop its technology and has research partnerships with The University of Queensland and Griffith University. The development of advanced quantum technology, and associated manufacturing processes, is critical to enabling Australia’s technological sovereignty in this sector, both as an AUKUS partner and as a technology provider to other major economies.

Case study: The ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology (QUBIC)

The bioeconomy is the largest predicted market for quantum technologies, where they are projected to have a multi-billion-dollar impact on energy technologies, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. However, this market is largely under-developed compared to other quantum technology markets. This presents a major opportunity for Queensland to lead the world at the convergence of quantum and biotechnology, and to secure the economic and social benefits that will accrue.

As a first stage to seize this opportunity, the Queensland Government has supported the establishment of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology (2023-2030) (QUBIC), headquartered at The University of Queensland. This is the first nation-spanning centre in quantum biotechnology anywhere in the world. It will create a first-class Australian environment for pioneering research at the quantum-bio interface, with its core in Queensland and nodes in New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.

QUBIC’s mission is to lead the world in applying quantum physics to biotechnology, driving fundamental understanding and applications across a diverse range of fields including biomedical imaging, chemical design and clean energy. Its research program aims to develop quantum technologies that go far beyond what is possible today, from portable brain imagers to super-fast single protein sensors, and to use them to unravel key problems including how enzymes catalyse reactions and how higher brain function emerges from networks of neurons. QUBIC has partnerships with leading Australian and international universities and companies, such as MIT, Johns Hopkins, CSIRO, IBM and Olympus energy.

Case study: Commercial silicon carbide power electronics device production at Griffith University

Silicon Carbide (SiC) is an example of a compound semiconductor, in that it consists of chemical elements from two or more different groups of the periodic table. It provides advantages in switching speed, efficiency and high temperature operation compared to conventional semiconductors such as silicon. This makes SiC ideal for power electronics applications such as electric vehicle power trains, inverters for solar and wind farms, fast chargers and uninterruptable power supplies. However, SiC devices are more challenging to develop and fabricate.

Researchers at the Queensland Microtechnology Facility (QMF) of the Queensland Micro-and Nanotechnology Centre (QMNC) at Griffith University have developed a new technology that allows for more efficient and low-cost fabrication of SiC components. The benefits of this new technology include more efficient energy conversion and reduced-size systems for applications such as battery-operated vehicles and renewable energy generation. QMF is the only facility in Australia that has proven capability in industry grade production of SiC power electronics devices. This innovative technology can support Australia’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and is an important step towards supporting sovereign capability in advanced manufacturing and critical technologies that are in the national interest.

A pilot production facility has been set up at QMF to develop and fabricate SiC-based semiconductors providing a great example of business-research collaboration where local manufacturers, universities and international businesses unite to fast-track commercialisation, design and manufacture of devices to meet local demand for applications such as EV battery chargers, drones, solar inverters, industrial motor drives, and high-frequency power converters.

Conventional SiC power electronics device manufacturing is complex and generally associated with high capital investment, but the technology developed by Griffith researchers uses steps that are common to standard silicon wafer processing, dramatically simplifying the manufacturing process and associated costs.