Monolithic Integration of Quantum Resonant Tunneling Gate on a 22nm FD-SOI CMOS Process
Bashir, Imran, Dirk R. Leipold, Elena Blokhina, Mike Asker, Redmond, David, Ali Esmailiyan, Panagiotis Giounanlis, Haenlein, Hans, Xuton Wu, Andrii Sokolov, Dennis Andrade‐Miceli, Andrew K. Mitchell, Robert Bogdan Staszewski
The proliferation of quantum computing technologies has fueled the race to build a practical quantum computer. The spectrum of the innovation is wide and encompasses many aspects of this technology, such as the qubit, control and detection mechanism, cryogenic electronics, and system integration. A few of those emerging technologies are poised for successful monolithic integration of cryogenic electronics with the quantum structure where the qubits reside. In this work, we present a fully integrated Quantum Processor Unit in which the quantum core is co-located with control and detection circuits on the same die in a commercial 22-nm FD-SOI process from GlobalFoundries. The system described in this work comprises a two dimensional (2D) 240 qubits array integrated with 8 detectors and 32 injectors operating at 3K and inside a two-stage Gifford-McMahon cryo-cooler. The power consumption of each detector and injector is 1mW and 0.27mW, respectively. The control sequence is programmed into an on-chip pattern generator that acts as a command and control block for all hardware in the Quantum Processor Unit. Using the aforementioned apparatus, we performed a quantum resonant tunneling experiment on two qubits inside the 2D qubit array. With supporting lab measurements, we demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed architecture in scaling-up the existing quantum core to thousands of qubits.
The proliferation of quantum computing technologies has fueled the race to build a practical quantum computer. The spectrum of the innovation is wide and encompasses many aspects of this technology, such as the qubit, control and detection mechanism, cryogenic electronics, and system integration. A few of those emerging technologies are poised for successful monolithic integration of cryogenic electronics with the quantum structure where the qubits reside. In this work, we present a fully integrated Quantum Processor Unit in which the quantum core is co-located with control and detection circuits on the same die in a commercial 22-nm FD-SOI process from GlobalFoundries. The system described in this work comprises a two dimensional (2D) 240 qubits array integrated with 8 detectors and 32 injectors operating at 3K and inside a two-stage Gifford-McMahon cryo-cooler. The power consumption of each detector and injector is 1mW and 0.27mW, respectively. The control sequence is programmed into an on-chip pattern generator that acts as a command and control block for all hardware in the Quantum Processor Unit. Using the aforementioned apparatus, we performed a quantum resonant tunneling experiment on two qubits inside the 2D qubit array. With supporting lab measurements, we demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed architecture in scaling-up the existing quantum core to thousands of qubits.
This paper discloses a mixed-signal control unit of a fully integrated semiconductor quantum processor SoC realized in a 22nm FD-SOI technology. Independent high-resolution DACs that set the amplitude and pulse-width of the control signals were integrated for each qubit, enabling both a programmable semiconductor qubit operation and a per-qubit individual calibration that compensates for the process variability. The lower deco-herence time of the semiconductor charge-qubits as compared to their spin-qubit counterparts was mitigated by using a high frequency of control unit operation. This is facilitated by the co-integration on the same die of the semiconductor quantum structures together with their corresponding classic control circuitry. The main challenge of achieving deep cryogenic operation for the mixed-signal classic control circuit was surpassed by using programmable local heating DACs that slightly boost the local temperature of the control blocks above the average temperature of the die, which needs to be maintained around 4 K to enable a reliable quantum operation. A staged multi-phase operation was adopted for the digital core in order to minimize the quantum decoherence originated in digital noise injection. The high-frequency clock tree and divider allows the generation of sub-20 ps fast edge control pulses with programmable widths down to 166 ps. This offers a wide quantum computation window when compared with the 1µs decoherence time of the charge-qubit structures.
Quantum computing promises to revolutionize our lives, achieving unprecedented computational powers and unlocking new possibilities in drug discovery, chemical simulations and cryptography. The fundamental unit of computation of a quantum computer is the quantum bit (qubit). It can be implemented in a number of technologies, such as superconducting qubits, spin qubits, photonic systems, trapped ions and NV-centers. Solid-state superconducting qubits and spin qubits seem to be the most promising ones, as shown by the recent demonstration of quantum supremacy with a superconducting qubit processor. Such quantum processors, to operate in the quantum regime, require very low temperatures around 10 mK, and they are hence kept inside dilution fridges. The electronics required to read out and control such processors is typically realized by discrete components or bulky scientific instruments at room temperature wired into the dilution fridge. Such approach is only feasible until few (< 100) qubits are handled, but it is not scalable for million-qubit processors required for fault-tolerant operation. In this thesis, readout and control electronics is proposed to be integrated and operated directly at cryogenic temperatures, in close proximity with the qubits and potentially even co-integrated. CMOS technology is advocated for its scalability, compactness and low prototyping cost, to create a comprehensive cryo-CMOS class of fully-integrated transceivers to read out and control solid-state qubits. In particular, the thesis focuses on cryo-CMOS radio-frequency integrated circuits for the readout of silicon quantum computers, looking to integrate the whole readout system, from the quantum layer to the room temperature user interface. Cryogenic CMOS devices are explored first, to lay the foundations of integrated circuit design. The realization of quantum dots in standard CMOS technology is explored as a platform to realize solid-state qubit arrays, demonstrating functionality at 50 mK and good reproducibility. Moreover, the operation of integrated transistors at 50 mK and 4.2 K is explored to understand their basic cryogenic functionality, through characterization and modeling. Then also integrated passives, such as capacitors, inductors and transformers, are studied and modeled at cryogenic temperatures. Then, a fully-integrated readout platform spanning across all the blocks needed for dispersive readout is proposed. A fully-integrated matrix of quantum dots with radio-frequency gate-based readout capabilities is demonstrated along with time- and frequency-multiplexing. This quantum-classical circuit shows all the features for a scalable approach and is the core of the platform following it. A cryogenic CMOS circulator based on a new all-pass filter architecture is demonstrated, to be used as integrated replacement for current bulky counterparts; it allows power reduction, insertion loss and bandwidth enhancement with respect to state-of-the-art integrated circulators. The rest of the front-end is also explored with dedicated test multiplexers, a low noise-amplifier and an oscillator, that are finally merged in a single fully-integrated low-noise receiver with frequency synthesizer operating at 3.5 K for scalable multiplexed readout of silicon qubits. The platform presented in this thesis, across temperature boundaries, carries all the features required for future scalable silicon quantum computing platforms and could therefore form their core.
Solid-state quantum computers require classical electronics to control and readout individual qubits and to enable fast classical data processing [1-3]. Integrating both subsystems at deep cryogenic temperatures [4], where solid-state quantum processors operate best, may solve some major scaling challenges, such as system size and input/output (I/O) data management [5]. Spin qubits in silicon quantum dots (QDs) could be monolithically integrated with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) electronics using very-large-scale integration (VLSI) and thus leveraging over wide manufacturing experience in the semiconductor industry [6]. However, experimental demonstrations of integration using industrial CMOS at mK temperatures are still in their infancy. Here we present a cryogenic integrated circuit (IC) fabricated using industrial CMOS technology that hosts three key ingredients of a silicon-based quantum processor: QD arrays (arranged here in a non-interacting 3x3 configuration), digital electronics to minimize control lines using row-column addressing and analog LC resonators for multiplexed readout, all operating at 50 mK. With the microwave resonators (6-8 GHz range), we show dispersive readout of the charge state of the QDs and perform combined time- and frequency-domain multiplexing, enabling scalable readout while reducing the overall chip footprint. This modular architecture probes the limits towards the realization of a large-scale silicon quantum computer integrating quantum and classical electronics using industrial CMOS technology.
Abstract The most promising quantum algorithms require quantum processors that host millions of quantum bits when targeting practical applications1. A key challenge towards large-scale quantum computation is the interconnect complexity. In current solid-state qubit implementations, an important interconnect bottleneck appears between the quantum chip in a dilution refrigerator and the room-temperature electronics. Advanced lithography supports the fabrication of both control electronics and qubits in silicon using technology compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS)2. When the electronics are designed to operate at cryogenic temperatures, they can ultimately be integrated with the qubits on the same die or package, overcoming the ‘wiring bottleneck’3–6. Here we report a cryogenic CMOS control chip operating at 3 kelvin, which outputs tailored microwave bursts to drive silicon quantum bits cooled to 20 millikelvin. We first benchmark the control chip and find an electrical performance consistent with qubit operations of 99.99 per cent fidelity, assuming ideal qubits. Next, we use it to coherently control actual qubits encoded in the spin of single electrons confined in silicon quantum dots7–9 and find that the cryogenic control chip achieves the same fidelity as commercial instruments at room temperature. Furthermore, we demonstrate the capabilities of the control chip by programming a number of benchmarking protocols, as well as the Deutsch–Josza algorithm10, on a two-qubit quantum processor. These results open up the way towards a fully integrated, scalable silicon-based quantum computer.
Quantum computers1 could revolutionize computing in a profound way due to the massive speedup they promise. A quantum computer comprises a cryogenic quantum processor and a classical electronic controller. When scaling up the cryogenic quantum processor to at least a few thousands, and possibly millions, of qubits required for any practical quantum algorithm, cryogenic CMOS (cryo-CMOS) electronics is required to allow feasible and compact interconnections between the controller and the quantum processor. Cryo-CMOS leverages the CMOS fabrication infrastructure while exploiting the continuous improvement of performance and miniaturization guaranteed by Moore's law, in order to enable the fabrication of a cost-effective practical quantum computer. However, designing cryo-CMOS integrated circuits requires a new set of CMOS device models, their embedding in design and verification tools, and the possibility to co-simulate the cryo-CMOS/quantum-processor architecture for full-system optimization. In this paper, we address these challenges by focusing on their impact on the design of complex cryo-CMOS systems.
While large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computers promise to enable the solution to certain classes of problems for which no other efficient approach is known, such a machine is believed to require over a million performant qubits. Scaling today's 0(100) qubit superconducting (SC) quantum computers to this extent while also improving performance carries many daunting challenges, including control of such a large quantum processor (QP). Integrating the control electronics at an intermediate temperature stage within the cryostat is an attractive option, e.g., due to the inherent thermal stability of the cryogenic environment and the feasibility of connecting to the QP via dense low-loss/high-thermal-isolation SC lines [1], [2]. Several cryo-CMOS quantum controllers have been reported, with examples used to control spin [3] and transmon [1], [2] qubits. To date, IC-based quantum control experiments have focused on resonant RF control, but baseband signals are often central to the execution of gates. Here, we report the design and system characterization of a cryo-CMOS IC for generating both the RF and baseband signals required for full control of a SC QP unit-cell, and show its ability to implement the components of a high-fidelity gate set that is universal for quantum computing.