Dr Harriet van der Vliet, Head of Strategic R&D Markets at Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology

Title: The Interface is the Device - Why interfaces are integral for future quantum devices

Date: TBC

The performance of future quantum devices depends heavily on interface quality. Surface defects, non-uniform deposition, and etch-induced damage can contribute to losses that limit device performance and coherence times.

This talk explores how atomic-scale fabrication techniques, including Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) and Atomic Layer Etching (ALE), can help create higher-quality interfaces through sub-nanometre control, wafer-scale uniformity, and low-damage processing. Examples will include ALD of superconducting nitrides and dielectrics for quantum device applications, as well as ALE approaches that enable precise etch control while minimizing surface damage. These advanced processing techniques offer a pathway to improved performance in next-generation quantum technologies, where the interface is often the device.

Dr Harriet van der Vliet – Head of Strategic R&D Markets, Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology

Harriet is the Head of Strategic R&D Markets at Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology, a leading provider of plasma enhanced etch and deposition processing tools and solutions for the compound semiconductor industry.
With almost a decade of industry experience, Harriet previously spent her career at Oxford Instruments NanoScience (now Quantum Design Oxford), as was the Product Segment Manager for Quantum Technologies from October 2020 to January 2025, starting her career in industry as a quantum engineer. Harriet received her PhD in quantum physics, specialising in current sensing noise thermometry and ultralow temperature engineering, from Royal Holloway, University of London’s Quantum Fluids and Solids group, The London Low Temperature Laboratory in 2017.
Today, Harriet ensures that R&D, one of the company's key segments, remains consistently and actively involved in the growth of next generation technology.
Alongside her role at Oxford Instruments, Harriet also contributes to strategic initiatives shaping the quantum sector, serving as an elected member of the steering committee for UKQuantum, the voice of the quantum industry in the UK, the deputy chair of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) Quantum Engineering Technical Network and sits on the Institute of Physics (IOP) quantum Business, Innovation and Growth group, qBIG. In these roles, she helps guide policy, support industry collaboration, and accelerate commercial adoption of quantum technologies.