No Arabic abstract
Quantum computers are expected to outperform conventional computers for a range of important problems, from molecular simulation to search algorithms, once they can be scaled up to large numbers of quantum bits (qubits), typically millions. For most solid-state qubit technologies, e.g. those using superconducting circuits or semiconductor spins, scaling poses a significant challenge as every additional qubit increases the heat generated, while the cooling power of dilution refrigerators is severely limited at their operating temperature below 100 mK. Here we demonstrate operation of a scalable silicon quantum processor unit cell, comprising two qubits confined to quantum dots (QDs) at $sim$1.5 Kelvin. We achieve this by isolating the QDs from the electron reservoir, initialising and reading the qubits solely via tunnelling of electrons between the two QDs. We coherently control the qubits using electrically-driven spin resonance (EDSR) in isotopically enriched silicon $^{28}$Si, attaining single-qubit gate fidelities of 98.6% and coherence time $T_2^*$ = 2$mu$s during `hot operation, comparable to those of spin qubits in natural silicon at millikelvin temperatures. Furthermore, we show that the unit cell can be operated at magnetic fields as low as 0.1 T, corresponding to a qubit control frequency of 3.5 GHz, where the qubit energy is well below the thermal energy. The unit cell constitutes the core building block of a full-scale silicon quantum computer, and satisfies layout constraints required by error correction architectures. Our work indicates that a spin-based quantum computer could be operated at elevated temperatures in a simple pumped $^4$He system, offering orders of magnitude higher cooling power than dilution refrigerators, potentially enabling classical control electronics to be integrated with the qubit array.
Recent studies of silicon spin qubits at temperatures above 1 K are encouraging demonstrations that the cooling requirements for solid-state quantum computing can be considerably relaxed. However, qubit readout mechanisms that rely on charge sensing with a single-island single-electron transistor (SISET) quickly lose sensitivity due to thermal broadening of the electron distribution in the reservoirs. Here we exploit the tunneling between two quantised states in a double-island SET (DISET) to demonstrate a charge sensor with an improvement in signal-to-noise by an order of magnitude compared to a standard SISET, and a single-shot charge readout fidelity above 99 % up to 8 K at a bandwidth > 100 kHz. These improvements are consistent with our theoretical modelling of the temperature-dependent current transport for both types of SETs. With minor additional hardware overheads, these sensors can be integrated into existing qubit architectures for high fidelity charge readout at few-kelvin temperatures.
Spin qubits in quantum dots define an attractive platform for scalable quantum information because of their compatibility with semiconductor manufacturing, their long coherence times, and the ability to operate at temperatures exceeding one Kelvin. Qubit logic can be implemented by pulsing the exchange interaction or via driven rotations. Here, we show that these approaches can be combined to execute a multitude of native two-qubit gates in a single device, reducing the operation overhead to perform quantum algorithms. We demonstrate, at a temperature above one Kelvin, single-qubit rotations together with the two-qubit gates CROT, CPHASE and SWAP. Furthermore we realize adiabatic, diabatic and composite sequences to optimize the qubit control fidelity and the gate time. We find two-qubit gates that can be executed within 67 ns and by theoretically analyzing the experimental noise sources we predict fidelities exceeding 99%. This promises fault-tolerant operation using quantum hardware that can be embedded with classical electronics for quantum integrated circuits.
With qubit measurement and control fidelities above the threshold of fault-tolerance, much attention is moving towards the daunting task of scaling up the number of physical qubits to the large numbers needed for fault tolerant quantum computing. Here, quantum dot based spin qubits may offer significant advantages due to their potential for high densities, all-electrical operation, and integration onto an industrial platform. In this system, the initialisation, readout, single- and two-qubit gates have been demonstrated in various qubit representations. However, as seen with other small scale quantum computer demonstrations, combining these elements leads to new challenges involving qubit crosstalk, state leakage, calibration, and control hardware which provide invaluable insight towards scaling up. Here we address these challenges and demonstrate a programmable two-qubit quantum processor in silicon by performing both the Deutsch-Josza and the Grover search algorithms. In addition, we characterise the entanglement in our processor through quantum state tomography of Bell states measuring state fidelities between 85-89% and concurrences between 73-80%. These results pave the way for larger scale quantum computers using spins confined to quantum dots.
Practical quantum computers require the construction of a large network of highly coherent qubits, interconnected in a design robust against errors. Donor spins in silicon provide state-of-the-art coherence and quantum gate fidelities, in a physical platform adapted from industrial semiconductor processing. Here we present a scalable design for a silicon quantum processor that does not require precise donor placement and allows hundreds of nanometers inter-qubit distances, therefore facilitating fabrication using current technology. All qubit operations are performed via electrical means on the electron-nuclear spin states of a phosphorus donor. Single-qubit gates use low power electric drive at microwave frequencies, while fast two-qubit gates exploit electric dipole-dipole interactions. Microwave resonators allow for millimeter-distance entanglement and interfacing with photonic links. Sweet spots protect the qubits from charge noise up to second order, implying that all operations can be performed with error rates below quantum error correction thresholds, even without any active noise cancellation technique.
Silicon nanoelectronic devices can host single-qubit quantum logic operations with fidelity better than 99.9%. For the spins of an electron bound to a single donor atom, introduced in the silicon by ion implantation, the quantum information can be stored for nearly 1 second. However, manufacturing a scalable quantum processor with this method is considered challenging, because of the exponential sensitivity of the exchange interaction that mediates the coupling between the qubits. Here we demonstrate the conditional, coherent control of an electron spin qubit in an exchange-coupled pair of $^{31}$P donors implanted in silicon. The coupling strength, $J = 32.06 pm 0.06$ MHz, is measured spectroscopically with unprecedented precision. Since the coupling is weaker than the electron-nuclear hyperfine coupling $A approx 90$ MHz which detunes the two electrons, a native two-qubit Controlled-Rotation gate can be obtained via a simple electron spin resonance pulse. This scheme is insensitive to the precise value of $J$, which makes it suitable for the scale-up of donor-based quantum computers in silicon that exploit the Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor fabrication protocols commonly used in the classical electronics industry.