Solid state quantum computers: A nanoscopic solution to the Moore's Law problem

The computer industry has followed Moore's Law closely and faithfully over the past few decades. However, transistors cannot continue to shrink at their current rate forever, and new methods of computation must be explored. Quantum computation is one such method that has received much attention over the past few years and will heavily rely on technological advances in the smart electronics and nanotechnology arena. In this review, we will present some of the problems facing classical computers and why quantum computers may be a viable alternative. We will briefly describe some of the "killer" quantum applications, such as Deutsch's, Shor's and Grover's algorithms that demonstrate the computational powers of quantum computation. Kane's solid state quantum computer in silicon promises to demonstrate some of these applications. However there remain many significant technological difficulties which will need to be overcome if we are to see a useful quantum computer. The main technological challenges, for Kane's solid-state computer, of interest to the smart materials and structures community, will be highlighted.Joseph Ng and Derek Abbot