High-fidelity spin qubit operation and algorithmic initialization above 1 K

The encoding of qubits in semiconductor spin carriers has been recognized as a promising approach to a commercial quantum computer that can be lithographically produced and integrated at scale1-10. However, the operation of the large number of qubits required for advantageous quantum applications11-13 will produce a thermal load exceeding the available cooling power of cryostats at millikelvin temperatures. As the scale-up accelerates, it becomes imperative to establish fault-tolerant operation above 1 K, at which the cooling power is orders of magnitude higher14-18. Here we tune up and operate spin qubits in silicon above 1 K, with fidelities in the range required for fault-tolerant operations at these temperatures19-21. We design an algorithmic initialization protocol to prepare a pure two-qubit state even when the thermal energy is substantially above the qubit energies and incorporate radiofrequency readout to achieve fidelities up to 99.34% for both readout and initialization. We also demonstrate single-qubit Clifford gate fidelities up to 99.85% and a two-qubit gate fidelity of 98.92%. These advances overcome the fundamental limitation that the thermal energy must be well below the qubit energies for the high-fidelity operation to be possible, surmounting a main obstacle in the pathway to scalable and fault-tolerant quantum computation.

On-demand electrical control of spin qubits

Once called a 'classically non-describable two-valuedness' by Pauli, the electron spin forms a qubit that is naturally robust to electric fluctuations. Paradoxically, a common control strategy is the integration of micromagnets to enhance the coupling between spins and electric fields, which, in turn, hampers noise immunity and adds architectural complexity. Here we exploit a switchable interaction between spins and orbital motion of electrons in silicon quantum dots, without a micromagnet. The weak effects of relativistic spin-orbit interaction in silicon are enhanced, leading to a speed up in Rabi frequency by a factor of up to 650 by controlling the energy quantization of electrons in the nanostructure. Fast electrical control is demonstrated in multiple devices and electronic configurations. Using the electrical drive, we achieve a coherence time T_2,Hahn ≈ 50 μs, fast single-qubit gates with T_π/2 = 3 ns and gate fidelities of 99.93%, probed by randomized benchmarking. High-performance all-electrical control improves the prospects for scalable silicon quantum computing.

Engineering long spin coherence times of spin-orbit qubits in silicon

Electron-spin qubits have long coherence times suitable for quantum technologies. Spin-orbit coupling promises to greatly improve spin qubit scalability and functionality, allowing qubit coupling via photons, phonons or mutual capacitances, and enabling the realization of engineered hybrid and topological quantum systems. However, despite much recent interest, results to date have yielded short coherence times (from 0.1 to 1 μs). Here we demonstrate ultra-long coherence times of 10 ms for holes where spin-orbit coupling yields quantized total angular momentum. We focus on holes bound to boron acceptors in bulk silicon 28, whose wavefunction symmetry can be controlled through crystal strain, allowing direct control over the longitudinal electric dipole that causes decoherence. The results rival the best electron-spin qubits and are 10⁴ to 10⁵ longer than previous spin-orbit qubits. These results open a pathway to develop new artificial quantum systems and to improve the functionality and scalability of spin-based quantum technologies.

A photonic platform for donor spin qubits in silicon

Donor spins in silicon are highly competitive qubits for upcoming quantum technologies, offering complementary metal-oxide semiconductor compatibility, coherence (T₂) times of minutes to hours, and simultaneous initialization, manipulation, and readout fidelities near ~99.9%. This allows for many quantum error correction protocols, which will be essential for scale-up. However, a proven method of reliably coupling spatially separated donor qubits has yet to be identified. We present a scalable silicon-based platform using the unique optical properties of "deep" chalcogen donors. For the prototypical ⁷⁷Se⁺ donor, we measure lower bounds on the transition dipole moment and excited-state lifetime, enabling access to the strong coupling limit of cavity quantum electrodynamics using known silicon photonic resonator technology and integrated silicon photonics. We also report relatively strong photon emission from this same transition. These results unlock clear pathways for silicon-based quantum computing, spin-to-photon conversion, photonic memories, integrated single-photon sources, and all-optical switches.

Conditional control of donor nuclear spins in silicon using stark shifts

Electric fields can be used to tune donor spins in silicon using the Stark shift, whereby the donor electron wave function is displaced by an electric field, modifying the hyperfine coupling between the electron spin and the donor nuclear spin. We present a technique based on dynamic decoupling of the electron spin to accurately determine the Stark shift, and illustrate this using antimony donors in isotopically purified silicon-28. We then demonstrate two different methods to use a dc electric field combined with an applied resonant radio-frequency (rf) field to conditionally control donor nuclear spins. The first method combines an electric-field induced conditional phase gate with standard rf pulses, and the second one simply detunes the spins off resonance. Finally, we consider different strategies to reduce the effect of electric field inhomogeneities and obtain above 90% process fidelities.

Room-temperature quantum bit storage exceeding 39 minutes using ionized donors in silicon-28

Quantum memories capable of storing and retrieving coherent information for extended times at room temperature would enable a host of new technologies. Electron and nuclear spin qubits using shallow neutral donors in semiconductors have been studied extensively but are limited to low temperatures (≲10 kelvin); however, the nuclear spins of ionized donors have the potential for high-temperature operation. We used optical methods and dynamical decoupling to realize this potential for an ensemble of phosphorous-31 donors in isotopically purified silicon-28 and observed a room-temperature coherence time of over 39 minutes. We further showed that a coherent spin superposition can be cycled from 4.2 kelvin to room temperature and back, and we report a cryogenic coherence time of 3 hours in the same system.

Atomic clock transitions in silicon-based spin qubits

A major challenge in using spins in the solid state for quantum technologies is protecting them from sources of decoherence. This is particularly important in nanodevices where the proximity of material interfaces, and their associated defects, can play a limiting role. Spin decoherence can be addressed to varying degrees by improving material purity or isotopic composition, for example, or active error correction methods such as dynamic decoupling (or even combinations of the two). However, a powerful method applied to trapped ions in the context of atomic clocks is the use of particular spin transitions that are inherently robust to external perturbations. Here, we show that such 'clock transitions' can be observed for electron spins in the solid state, in particular using bismuth donors in silicon. This leads to dramatic enhancements in the electron spin coherence time, exceeding seconds. We find that electron spin qubits based on clock transitions become less sensitive to the local magnetic environment, including the presence of (29)Si nuclear spins as found in natural silicon. We expect the use of such clock transitions will be of additional significance for donor spins in nanodevices, mitigating the effects of magnetic or electric field noise arising from nearby interfaces and gates.

Violation of a Leggett-Garg inequality with ideal non-invasive measurements

The quantum superposition principle states that an entity can exist in two different states simultaneously, counter to our 'classical' intuition. Is it possible to understand a given system's behaviour without such a concept? A test designed by Leggett and Garg can rule out this possibility. The test, originally intended for macroscopic objects, has been implemented in various systems. However to date no experiment has employed the 'ideal negative result' measurements that are required for the most robust test. Here we introduce a general protocol for these special measurements using an ancillary system, which acts as a local measuring device but which need not be perfectly prepared. We report an experimental realization using spin-bearing phosphorus impurities in silicon. The results demonstrate the necessity of a non-classical picture for this class of microscopic system. Our procedure can be applied to systems of any size, whether individually controlled or in a spatial ensemble.

Quantum mechanics predicts that objects can simultaneously exist in a superposition of two states. Knee et al. propose and demonstrate experimentally a protocol which fully confirms this prediction, by testing the so-called Leggett–Garg inequality in a non-invasive manner.

Electron spin coherence exceeding seconds in high-purity silicon

Silicon is one of the most promising semiconductor materials for spin-based information processing devices. Its advanced fabrication technology facilitates the transition from individual devices to large-scale processors, and the availability of a (28)Si form with no magnetic nuclei overcomes a primary source of spin decoherence in many other materials. Nevertheless, the coherence lifetimes of electron spins in the solid state have typically remained several orders of magnitude lower than that achieved in isolated high-vacuum systems such as trapped ions. Here we examine electron spin coherence of donors in pure (28)Si material (residual (29)Si concentration <50 ppm) with donor densities of 10(14)-10(15) cm(-3). We elucidate three mechanisms for spin decoherence, active at different temperatures, and extract a coherence lifetime T(2) up to 2 s. In this regime, we find the electron spin is sensitive to interactions with other donor electron spins separated by ~200 nm. A magnetic field gradient suppresses such interactions, producing an extrapolated electron spin T(2) of 10 s at 1.8 K. These coherence lifetimes are without peer in the solid state and comparable to high-vacuum qubits, making electron spins of donors in silicon ideal components of quantum computers, or quantum memories for systems such as superconducting qubits.

Photoluminescence of isotopically purified silicon: how sharp are bound exciton transitions?

We report the first high resolution photoluminescence studies of isotopically pure Si (99.896% (28)Si). New information is obtained on isotopic effects on the indirect band gap energy, phonon energies, and phonon broadenings, which is in good agreement with calculations and previous results obtained in Ge and diamond. Remarkably, the linewidths of the no-phonon boron and phosphorus bound exciton transitions in the (28)Si sample are much narrower than in natural Si and are not well resolved at our maximum instrumental resolution of approximately 0.014 cm(-1). The removal of the dominant broadening resulting from isotopic randomness in natural Si reveals new fine structure in the boron bound exciton luminescence.