Quantum information processing uses quantum-mechanical phenomena such as superposition and entanglement to perform computation. Quantum circuits use quantum bits, or qubits. Qubits are stored in stable electronic states of each ion, and quantum information can transfer through the collective quantized motion of the ions in a shared trap. Scalable architectures for quantum information processing with trapped ions will necessarily comprise thousands of computation sites, and each computational site would house several ions, which serve as qubits. 

Currently pursued large-scale architectures rely on two-dimensional trap geometries amenable to lithographic microfabrication. This method raises challenges when scaling to a large number of computation sites. New microfabrication methods and 3D printing techniques enable complicated three-dimensional structures to be manufactured quickly and with high precision, which allows for new miniature ion traps to be created with features and scalability needed to advance quantum computing.