Fast Gate-Based Readout of Silicon Quantum Dots Using Josephson Parametric Amplification

Photoionisation detection of a single Er3+ ion with sub-100-ns time resolution

Efficient detection of single optical centres in solids is essential for quantum information processing, sensing and single-photon generation applications. In this work, we use radio-frequency (RF) reflectometry to electrically detect the photoionisation induced by a single Er3+ ion in Si. The high bandwidth and sensitivity of the RF reflectometry provide sub-100-ns time resolution for the photoionisation detection. With this technique, the optically excited state lifetime of a single Er3+ ion in a Si nano-transistor is measured for the first time to be [Formula: see text]s. Our results demonstrate an efficient approach for detecting a charge state change induced by Er excitation and relaxation. This approach could be used for fast readout of other single optical centres in solids and is attractive for large-scale integrated optical quantum systems thanks to the multi-channel RF reflectometry demonstrated with frequency multiplexing techniques.

A single hole spin with enhanced coherence in natural silicon

Semiconductor spin qubits based on spin-orbit states are responsive to electric field excitations, allowing for practical, fast and potentially scalable qubit control. Spin electric susceptibility, however, renders these qubits generally vulnerable to electrical noise, which limits their coherence time. Here we report on a spin-orbit qubit consisting of a single hole electrostatically confined in a natural silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor device. By varying the magnetic field orientation, we reveal the existence of operation sweet spots where the impact of charge noise is minimized while preserving an efficient electric-dipole spin control. We correspondingly observe an extension of the Hahn-echo coherence time up to 88 μs, exceeding by an order of magnitude existing values reported for hole spin qubits, and approaching the state-of-the-art for electron spin qubits with synthetic spin-orbit coupling in isotopically purified silicon. Our finding enhances the prospects of silicon-based hole spin qubits for scalable quantum information processing.

Bifurcation Oscillator as an Advanced Sensor for Quantum State Control

We study bifurcation behavior of a high-quality (high-Q) Josephson oscillator coupled to a superconducting qubit. It is shown that the probability of capture into the state of dynamic equilibrium is sensitive to qubit states. On this basis we present a new measurement method for the superposition state of a qubit due to its influence on transition probabilities between oscillator levels located in the energy region near the classical separatrix. The quantum-mechanical behavior of a bifurcation oscillator is also studied, which makes it possible to understand the mechanism of "entanglement" of oscillator and qubit states during the measurement process. The optimal parameters of the driving current and the state of the oscillator are found for performing one-qubit gates with the required precision, when the influence on the qubit from measurement back-action is minimal. A measurement protocol for state populations of the qubit entangled with the oscillator is presented.

Parametric Amplifiers Based on Quantum Dots

Josephson parametric amplifiers (JPAs) approaching quantum-limited noise performance have been instrumental in enabling high fidelity readout of superconducting qubits and, recently, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). We propose that the quantum capacitance arising in electronic two-level systems (the dual of Josephson inductance) can provide an alternative dissipationless nonlinear element for parametric amplification. We experimentally demonstrate phase-sensitive parametric amplification using a QD-reservoir electron transition in a CMOS nanowire split-gate transistor embedded in a 1.8 GHz superconducting lumped-element microwave cavity, achieving parametric gains of -3 to +3  dB, limited by Sisyphus dissipation. Using a semiclassical model, we find an optimized design within current technological capabilities could achieve gains and bandwidths comparable to JPAs, while providing complementary specifications with respect to integration in semiconductor platforms or operation at higher magnetic fields.

Quantum logic with spin qubits crossing the surface code threshold

High-fidelity control of quantum bits is paramount for the reliable execution of quantum algorithms and for achieving fault tolerance-the ability to correct errors faster than they occur1. The central requirement for fault tolerance is expressed in terms of an error threshold. Whereas the actual threshold depends on many details, a common target is the approximately 1% error threshold of the well-known surface code2,3. Reaching two-qubit gate fidelities above 99% has been a long-standing major goal for semiconductor spin qubits. These qubits are promising for scaling, as they can leverage advanced semiconductor technology4. Here we report a spin-based quantum processor in silicon with single-qubit and two-qubit gate fidelities, all of which are above 99.5%, extracted from gate-set tomography. The average single-qubit gate fidelities remain above 99% when including crosstalk and idling errors on the neighbouring qubit. Using this high-fidelity gate set, we execute the demanding task of calculating molecular ground-state energies using a variational quantum eigensolver algorithm5. Having surpassed the 99% barrier for the two-qubit gate fidelity, semiconductor qubits are well positioned on the path to fault tolerance and to possible applications in the era of noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices.

4.2 K sensitivity-tunable radio frequency reflectometry of a physically defined p-channel silicon quantum dot

We demonstrate the measurement of p-channel silicon-on-insulator quantum dots at liquid helium temperatures by using a radio frequency (rf) reflectometry circuit comprising of two independently tunable GaAs varactors. This arrangement allows observing Coulomb diamonds at 4.2 K under nearly best matching condition and optimal signal-to-noise ratio. We also discuss the rf leakage induced by the presence of the large top gate in MOS nanostructures and its consequence on the efficiency of rf-reflectometry. These results open the way to fast and sensitive readout in multi-gate architectures, including multi qubit platforms.

Designs for a two-dimensional Si quantum dot array with spin qubit addressability

Electron spins in Si are an attractive platform for quantum computation, backed with their scalability and fast, high-fidelity quantum logic gates. Despite the importance of two-dimensional integration with efficient connectivity between qubits for medium- to large-scale quantum computation, however, a practical device design that guarantees qubit addressability is yet to be seen. Here, we propose a practical 3 × 3 quantum dot device design and a larger-scale design as a longer-term target. The design goal is to realize qubit connectivity to the four nearest neighbors while ensuring addressability. We show that a 3 × 3 quantum dot array can execute four-qubit Grover’s algorithm more efficiently than the one-dimensional counterpart. To scale up the two-dimensional array beyond 3 × 3, we propose a novel structure with ferromagnetic gate electrodes. Our results showcase the possibility of medium-sized quantum processors in Si with fast quantum logic gates and long coherence times.