Cryogenic Performance Evaluation of Commercial SP4T Microelectromechanical Switch for Quantum Computing Applications

TL;DR

This study evaluates commercial MEMS switches at cryogenic temperatures, demonstrating their improved electrical performance and reliability, and their potential for scalable quantum computing interconnects.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive analysis of MEMS switch performance at cryogenic temperatures for quantum computing applications.

Findings

MEMS switches show improved on-resistance at cryogenic temperatures

Reliable operation over 100 million cycles is achieved

Successful demonstration of SP4T switching and logic gates at cryogenic temperatures

Abstract

Superconducting quantum computers have emerged as a leading platform for next-generation computing, offering exceptional scalability and unprecedented computational speeds. However, scaling these systems to millions of qubits for practical applications poses substantial challenges, particularly due to interconnect bottlenecks. To address this challenge, extensive research has focused on developing cryogenic multiplexers that enable minimal wiring between room-temperature electronics and quantum processors. This paper investigates the viability of commercial microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switches for cryogenic multiplexers in large-scale quantum computing systems. DC and RF characteristics of the MEMS switches are evaluated at cryogenic temperatures (< 10 K) through finite element simulations and experimental measurements. Our results demonstrate that MEMS switches exhibit improved on-resistance, lower operating voltage, and superior RF performance at cryogenic temperatures, with reliable operation over 100 million cycles. Furthermore, stable single-pole four-throw (SP4T) switching and logical operations, including NAND and NOR gates, are demonstrated at cryogenic temperatures, validating their potential for quantum computing. These results underscore the promise of MEMS switches in realizing large-scale quantum computing systems.