We investigate spin states of few electrons in a double quantum dot by coupling them weakly to a magnetic field resilient NbTiN microwave resonator. We observe a reduced resonator transmission if resonator photons and spin singlet states interact. This response vanishes in a magnetic field once the quantum dot ground state changes from a spin singlet into a spin triplet state. Based on this observation, we map the two-electron singlet-triplet crossover by resonant spectroscopy. By measuring the resonator only, we observe Pauli spin blockade known from transport experiments at finite source-drain bias and detect an unconventional spin blockade triggered by the absorption of resonator photons.
Quantum confinement leads to the formation of discrete electronic states in quantum dots. Here we probe electron-phonon interactions in a suspended InAs nanowire double quantum dot (DQD) that is electric-dipole coupled to a microwave cavity. We apply a finite bias across the wire to drive a steady state population in the DQD excited state, enabling a direct measurement of the electron-phonon coupling strength at the DQD transition energy. The amplitude and phase response of the cavity field exhibit features that are periodic in the DQD energy level detuning due to the phonon modes of the nanowire. The observed cavity phase shift is consistent with theory that predicts a renormalization of the cavity center frequency by coupling to phonons.
Silicon quantum dots are attractive candidates for the development of scalable, spin-based qubits. Pauli spin blockade in double quantum dots provides an efficient, temperature independent mechanism for qubit readout. Here we report on transport experiments in double gate nanowire transistors issued from a CMOS process on 300 mm silicon-on-insulator wafers. At low temperature the devices behave as two few-electron quantum dots in series. We observe signatures of Pauli spin blockade with a singlet-triplet splitting ranging from 0.3 to 1.3 meV. Magneto-transport measurements show that transitions which conserve spin are shown to be magnetic-field independent up to B = 6 T.
As an application in circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) coupled systems, superconducting resonators play an important role in high-sensitivity measurements in a superconductingsemiconductor hybrid architecture. Taking advantage of a high-impedance NbTiN resonator, we perform excited-state spectroscopy on a GaAs double quantum dot (DQD) by applying voltage pulses to one gate electrode. The pulse train modulates the DQD energy detuning and gives rise to charge state transitions at zero detuning. Benefiting from the outstanding sensitivity of the resonator, we distinguish different spin-state transitions in the energy spectrum according to the Pauli exclusion principle. Furthermore, we experimentally study how the interdot tunneling rate modifies the resonator response. The experimental results are consistent with the simulated spectra based on our model.
We present measurements of resonant tunneling through discrete energy levels of a silicon double quantum dot formed in a thin silicon-on-insulator layer. In the absence of piezoelectric phonon coupling, spontaneous phonon emission with deformation-potential coupling accounts for inelastic tunneling through the ground states of the two dots. Such transport measurements enable us to observe a Pauli spin blockade due to effective two-electron spin-triplet correlations, evident in a distinct bias-polarity dependence of resonant tunneling through the ground states. The blockade is lifted by the excited-state resonance by virtue of efficient phonon emission between the ground states. Our experiment demonstrates considerable potential for investigating silicon-based spin dynamics and spin-based quantum information processing.
We measure transport at finite bias through a double quantum dot formed by top-gates in an InAs nanowire. Pauli spin-bockade is confirmed with several electrons in the dot. This is expected due to the small exchange interactions in InAs and the large singlet-triplet splitting, which can be measured and tuned by a gate voltage.