Simmons group (UNSW Sydney) — academia dossier

Simmons group (UNSW Sydney)

Quantum computers active
Institution
UNSW Sydney
Lab / Centre
Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T, ARC Centre of Excellence) · School of Physics
Location
Sydney, NSW, Australia

Atomic-precision phosphorus-in-silicon (P-in-Si) quantum-computing group at UNSW Sydney, led by Scientia Professor Michelle Simmons. The signature method is STM hydrogen-resist lithography followed by phosphine dosing, placing individual donor atoms in the silicon lattice with sub-nanometre precision (0.13 nm, Nature 2026). This is a different architecture from the electrostatic quantum-dot route used by most CMOS-aligned silicon-spin programmes. Current focus is scaling deterministic donor arrays into multi-qubit logic devices. Simmons is also Founder and CEO of the commercial spinout Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC).

Current focus: Atomic-precision quantum computing in silicon — Per the UNSW profile (unsw.edu.au/staff/michelle-simmons): building electronic devices in silicon at the atomic scale — including atom-based qubits and 3D atomic electronics — toward a silicon quantum computer, pursued at UNSW as Director of CQC2T and at the Silicon Quantum Computing spinout as Founder and CEO.

Milestones

  1. 2026-02 Quantum Twins commercial launch via SQC — companion Nature paper reports 0.13 nm donor placement precision and up-to-99.99% one-qubit fidelity on STM-lithographed P-in-Si devices press
  2. 2025 Selected by DARPA for Stage B of the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (via SQC) press
  3. 2025 Grover's-algorithm demonstration on silicon donor spin qubits reaching 98.87% of the theoretical maximum success probability (Nature Nanotechnology) paper
  4. 2022-06 Kiczynski et al. — atomic-scale integrated quantum circuit with 10 phosphorus quantum dots placed atom-by-atom in silicon, operated as an analog simulator of polyacetylene (Nature) paper
  5. 2019 Three-dimensional atom-by-atom transistor demonstrated in silicon (Nature Nanotechnology) paper
  6. 2012 First single-atom transistor in silicon — single phosphorus donor placed by STM lithography (Nature Nanotechnology) paper
  7. 2010 Single-shot readout of an electron spin bound to a phosphorus donor in silicon (Nature, Morello et al., CQC2T collaboration) paper

People

  • Michelle Simmons — Principal Investigator / Scientia Professor (since 1999) ↗
  • Michelle Simmons — Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T) (since 2011) ↗

Funding

References