The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has developed domestic technologies to produce high-purity silicon and germanium precursor materials for quantum devices, a move that comes as the U..S. seeks to strengthen critical supply chains for next-generation computing hardware.

The work, carried out by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), reduced concentrations of the noise-inducing silicon-29 and germanium-73 isotopes to below one part per million, with silicon-28 reaching 99.9999% purity. According to the DOE, the resulting materials have contaminating isotope concentrations at least 100-times lower than commercially available alternatives.

DOE officials said the materials could improve qubit coherence while reducing U.S. dependence on overseas isotope production.

It also comes as Washington increases investment in domestic quantum manufacturing under its Genesis Mission initiative. That 2025 Executive Order aims to expand domestic capabilities across critical quantum technologies and reduce reliance on overseas supply chains.

Quantum devices are extremely sensitive to atomic-scale noise. Naturally occurring silicon and germanium contain isotopes with a nuclear spin that can interfere with qubits. Removing those isotopes creates a quieter material in which quantum information can remain coherent for longer. 

While much attention has focused on processors, cryogenics, and control electronics, isotope-enriched materials are becoming another strategic part of the quantum hardware ecosystem.

“For years, the promise of quantum supercomputing has been held back by the microscopic noise of the physical world,” Christopher Landers, director of the DOE's Office of Isotope R&D and Production (IRP), explained.

Silicon-28 is used in silicon spin qubits because removing nuclear-spin isotopes reduces magnetic noise. Germanium and ytterbium isotopes also support several quantum computing architectures, while ultra-pure silane and germane gases are widely used during semiconductor manufacturing.

ORNL enriched the isotopes, while PNNL developed processes to convert, purify, and further enrich the resulting materials into semiconductor-grade silane and germane gases. Together, the two laboratories established a domestic production pipeline from isotope enrichment to semiconductor-grade materials suitable for quantum device manufacturing.

Darío Gil, the former IBM research chief who now serves as the DOE's Under Secretary for Science, said the breakthrough “has the potential to increase the operability of quantum computers” while helping the U.S. “be the undisputed leader in the quantum technology race.” 

The work also highlights the overlap between quantum and traditional semiconductor manufacturing, with silane and germane already widely used in chip fabrication, but now produced with isotope purities required for emerging quantum devices.