No Arabic abstract
Solid-state qubits incorporating quantum dots can be read out by gate reflectometry. Here, we theoretically describe physical mechanisms that render such reflectometry-based readout schemes imperfect. We discuss charge qubits, singlet-triplet spin qubits, and Majorana qubits. In our model, we account for readout errors due to slow charge noise, and due to overdriving, when a too strong probe is causing errors. A key result is that for charge and spin qubits, the readout fidelity saturates at large probe strengths, whereas for Majorana qubits, there is an optimal probe strength which provides a maximized readout fidelity. We also point out the existence of severe readout errors appearing in a resonance-like fashion as the pulse strength is increased, and show that these errors are related to probe-induced multi-photon transitions. Besides providing practical guidelines toward optimized readout, our study might also inspire ways to use gate reflectometry for device characterization.
We study the time-dependent effect of Markovian readout processes on Majorana qubits whose parity degrees of freedom are converted into the charge of a tunnel-coupled quantum dot. By applying a recently established effective Lindbladian approximation [1-3], we obtain a completely positive and trace preserving Lindblad master equation for the combined dot-qubit dynamics, describing relaxation and decoherence processes beyond the rotating-wave approximation. This approach is applicable to a wide range of weakly coupled environments representing experimentally relevant readout devices. We study in detail the case of thermal decay in the presence of a generic Ohmic bosonic bath, in particular for potential fluctuations in an electromagnetic circuit. In addition, we consider the nonequilibrium measurement environment for a parity readout using a quantum point contact capacitively coupled to the dot charge.
Gate-controlled silicon quantum devices are currently moving from academic proof-of-principle studies to industrial fabrication, while increasing their complexity from single- or double-dot devices to larger arrays. We perform gate-based high-frequency reflectometry measurements on a 2x2 array of silicon quantum dots fabricated entirely using 300 mm foundry processes. Utilizing the capacitive couplings within the dot array, it is sufficient to connect only one gate electrode to one reflectometry resonator and still establish single-electron occupation in each of the four dots and detect single-electron movements with high bandwidth. A global top-gate electrode adjusts the overall tunneling times, while linear combinations of side-gate voltages yield detailed charge stability diagrams. We support our findings with $mathbf{k}cdotmathbf{p}$ modeling and electrostatic simulations based on a constant interaction model, and experimentally demonstrate single-shot detection of interdot charge transitions with unity signal-to-noise ratios at bandwidths exceeding 30 kHz. Our techniques may find use in the scaling of few-dot spin-qubit devices to large-scale quantum processors.
Silicon spin qubits have emerged as a promising path to large-scale quantum processors. In this prospect, the development of scalable qubit readout schemes involving a minimal device overhead is a compelling step. Here we report the implementation of gate-coupled rf reflectometry for the dispersive readout of a fully functional spin qubit device. We use a p-type double-gate transistor made using industry-standard silicon technology. The first gate confines a hole quantum dot encoding the spin qubit, the second one a helper dot enabling readout. The qubit state is measured through the phase response of a lumped-element resonator to spin-selective interdot tunneling. The demonstrated qubit readout scheme requires no coupling to a Fermi reservoir, thereby offering a compact and potentially scalable solution whose operation may be extended above 1,K.
Silicon spin qubits are promising candidates for realising large scale quantum processors, benefitting from a magnetically quiet host material and the prospects of leveraging the mature silicon device fabrication industry. We report the measurement of an electron spin in a singly-occupied gate-defined quantum dot, fabricated using CMOS compatible processes at the 300 mm wafer scale. For readout, we employ spin-dependent tunneling combined with a low-footprint single-lead quantum dot charge sensor, measured using radiofrequency gate reflectometry. We demonstrate spin readout in two devices using this technique, obtaining valley splittings in the range 0.5-0.7 meV using excited state spectroscopy, and measure a maximum electron spin relaxation time ($T_1$) of $9 pm 3$ s at 1 Tesla. These long lifetimes indicate the silicon nanowire geometry and fabrication processes employed here show a great deal of promise for qubit devices, while the spin-readout method demonstrated here is well-suited to a variety of scalable architectures.
Characterizing charge noise is of prime importance to the semiconductor spin qubit community. We analyze the echo amplitude data from a recent experiment [Yoneda et al., Nat. Nanotechnol. 13, 102 (2018)] and note that the data shows small but consistent deviations from a $1/f^alpha$ noise power spectrum at the higher frequencies in the measured range. We report the results of using a physical noise model based on two-level fluctuators to fit the data and find that it can mostly explain the deviations. While our results are suggestive rather than conclusive, they provide what may be an early indication of a high-frequency cutoff in the charge noise. The location of this cutoff, where the power spectral density of the noise gradually rolls off from $1/f$ to $1/f^2$, crucial knowledge for designing precise qubit control pulses, is given by our fit of the data to be around 200 kHz.