Atomic engineering
Write structure. Design function.
AtomQ converts the scanning transmission electron microscope from a tool that observes atoms into an engine that can address, move and organize them inside crystalline materials.
Deterministic placementPicometer-scale beam controlThree-dimensional crystalsAtmosphere-stable structures
A closed fabrication loop
Control begins with knowing exactly where the beam is.
Atomic fabrication requires more than a small electron probe. AtomQ’s approach combines fast lattice registration, precise beam positioning and programmable exposure paths. The system continuously relates the commanded pattern to the crystal itself, allowing repeated interactions at selected atomic sites.
The method can drive directional atomic rearrangements—not simply remove material—so the resulting vacancy–interstitial structures are embedded within the host crystal.
Registered targetAtomic siteCrystal coordinates
Aberration-corrected STEMStable probeLow driftClean specimen
The workflow
From coordinate map to engineered lattice.
Locate
Measure the local lattice and establish a coordinate system with the minimum imaging dose needed for reliable targeting.
Register
Align a user-defined design to the atomic structure rather than relying on the microscope’s nominal scan position alone.
Act
Execute controlled beam trajectories and dwell sequences at selected sites to drive specific atomic transformations.
Verify and scale
Measure the resulting structures, refine the recipe and repeat the process across thousands of sites and multiple layers.
Published in Nature
A mesoscale crystal, engineered atom by atom.
Using AtomQ's programmable beam-control technology, the 2026 demonstration established repeated, deterministic atomic control across a volume far larger than prior atom-manipulation experiments.
40,000+User-defined atomic defects
150 × 100 nmLateral write area demonstrated
Multiple layersNot just monolayers
Nature
Mesoscale atomic engineering in a crystal lattice
J. Klein, K. M. Roccapriore et al. Nature 653, 715–722 (2026).
What changes
Defects stop being fabrication noise.
Conventional defect formation commonly produces distributions of positions, orientations and local environments. Deterministic atomic engineering makes those variables part of the design space.
The long-term objective is not merely to place isolated defects, but to manufacture interacting atomic architectures whose optical, electronic and magnetic behavior follows from their arrangement.
Application pathways
One engine. Multiple quantum architectures.
Atomic precision becomes a new design variable across sensing, light, communications, simulation and information processing. Hover over a pathway—or tap it on mobile—for a quick primer and one neutral external reference.
Sensing
Quantum sensing
Position optically or electrically addressable defect centers near the region being measured, with controlled spacing and orientation.
What this means
Explore context Quantum sensors use controlled quantum states to detect quantities such as magnetic and electric fields, motion, temperature or time with unusually high sensitivity.
Neutral primer · NISTLight
Quantum emitters
Create candidate emitter sites at predetermined locations for alignment with optical collection structures and photonic cavities.
What this means
Explore context A quantum emitter can generate light one photon at a time. Precise placement helps align the emitter with cavities, waveguides and collection optics.
Neutral primer · NISTNetworks
Quantum communication
Develop repeatable emitter–photon interfaces for on-chip routing, entanglement distribution and future network nodes.
What this means
Explore context Quantum networks move quantum states between nodes, typically using photons, and require reliable sources, detectors, memories and interfaces.
Neutral primer · NISTMany-body physics
Quantum simulation
Arrange interacting impurity states into user-defined lattices to explore collective behavior and model Hamiltonians in solid-state matter.
What this means
Explore context A quantum simulator uses one controllable quantum system to reproduce the behavior of another system that can be difficult to calculate classically.
Neutral primer · NISTInformation
Quantum computing
Pursue scalable arrays of defect-based quantum elements whose positions are defined by fabrication rather than statistical yield.
What this means
Explore context Quantum computers encode and process information in quantum states. Repeatable, addressable physical elements are one route toward scaling qubit hardware.
Neutral primer · NISTMaterials
Atomic-scale electronics
Explore dense memory, logic and functional materials whose electronic or magnetic response is encoded by defect architecture.
What this means
Explore context Individual defects can alter conductivity, optical response and magnetism. Deliberately placing them makes atomic-scale structure an electronic design variable.
Neutral primer · U.S. DOEThe integration bridge
Atomic placement is only the first layer of the device.
Usable quantum hardware also requires optical or electrical readout, control, packaging and a material whose engineered states have the right coherence and stability. The critical bridge is registration: every atomic coordinate must map to a repeated, designated active-area coordinate in the photonic or electrical device.
AtomQ’s role is to make that atomic architecture reproducible and alignable across arrays of identical nanophotonic cells—placing each engineered region beside the same resonator geometry, waveguide, grating coupler or electrode interface.
Conceptual pathway: engineered crystal → registered device array → optical or electrical control → quantum system.
Scientific discipline matters
Opportunity without overclaiming.
The atomic-engineering capability is demonstrated. Specific device performance still depends on the defect, host material and readout architecture. AtomQ works with partners to identify which material–application combinations have a defensible route from atomic structure to measurable function.
Technical collaboration
Have a material, defect or device architecture in mind?
AtomQ is developing partnerships around beam control, defect fabrication, characterization and device integration.