Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit -- Defect Arbitrary Waveform Generator (QICK-DAWG): A Quantum Sensing Control Framework for Quantum Defects
Emmeline G. Riendeau, Luca Basso, Jasmine J. Mah, Rong Cong, MA Sadi, Jacob Henshaw, KM Azizur-Rahman, Aulden K Jones, Gajadhar Joshi, Michael P Lilly, Andrew M. Mounce
Quantum information communication, sensing, and computation often require complex and expensive instrumentation resulting in a large entry barrier. The Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit (QICK) overcomes this barrier for superconducting qubits with a collection of software and firmware for state-of-the-art radio frequency system on chip (RFSoC's) field programmable gate architecture (FPGA) chips. Here we present a software and firmware extension to QICK, the Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit - Defect Arbitrary Waveform Generator (QICK-DAWG), which is an open-source software and firmware package that supports full quantum control and measurement of nitrogen-vacancy defects in diamond and other quantum defects using RFSoC FPGAs. QICKDAWG extends QICK to the characterization of nitrogen-vacancy defects and other diamond quantum defects by implementing DC-1 GHz readout, AOM or gated laser control, and analog or photon counting readout options. QICK-DAWG also adds pulse sequence programs and data analysis scripts to collect and characterize photoluminescence (PL) intensity, optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) spectra, PL readout windows, Rabi oscillations, Ramsay interference spectra, Hahn echo spin-spin relaxation times T$_2$, and spin-lattice relaxation times T$_1$. We demonstrate that QICK-DAWG is a powerful new paradigm of open source quantum hardware that significantly lowers the entry barrier and cost for quantum sensing using quantum defects.
Quantum information communication, sensing, and computation often require complex and expensive instrumentation resulting in a large entry barrier. The Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit (QICK) overcomes this barrier for superconducting qubits with a collection of software and firmware for state-of-the-art radio frequency system on chip (RFSoC's) field programmable gate architecture (FPGA) chips. Here we present a software and firmware extension to QICK, the Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit - Defect Arbitrary Waveform Generator (QICK-DAWG), which is an open-source software and firmware package that supports full quantum control and measurement of nitrogen-vacancy defects in diamond and other quantum defects using RFSoC FPGAs. QICKDAWG extends QICK to the characterization of nitrogen-vacancy defects and other diamond quantum defects by implementing DC-1 GHz readout, AOM or gated laser control, and analog or photon counting readout options. QICK-DAWG also adds pulse sequence programs and data analysis scripts to collect and characterize photoluminescence (PL) intensity, optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) spectra, PL readout windows, Rabi oscillations, Ramsay interference spectra, Hahn echo spin-spin relaxation times T2, and spin-lattice relaxation times T1. We demonstrate that QICK-DAWG is a powerful new paradigm of open source quantum hardware that significantly lowers the entry barrier and cost for quantum sensing using quantum defects.
SAND2024-08598O The Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit Defect Arbitrary Waveform Generator (QICKDAWG) characterizes nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond and other defects. It does this by using a radio frequency system-on-a-chip (RFSoC) field programmable gate array (FPGA). QICKDAWG synthesizes microwave pulses from the RFSoC to change the spin state of the defects. The software also allows for laser control using the RFSoC, which optically pumps defects. Ultimately, QICKDAWG supports the implementation of RFSoC FPGAs in defect characterization. This replaces the slow, expensive, traditional hardware, thus lowering the cost and time for defect characterization. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.
We introduce a Xilinx RF System-on-Chip (RFSoC)-based qubit controller (called the Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit, or QICK for short), which supports the direct synthesis of control pulses with carrier frequencies of up to 6 GHz. The QICK can control multiple qubits or other quantum devices. The QICK consists of a digital board hosting an RFSoC field-programmable gate array, custom firmware, and software and an optional companion custom-designed analog front-end board. We characterize the analog performance of the system as well as its digital latency, important for quantum error correction and feedback protocols. We benchmark the controller by performing standard characterizations of a transmon qubit. We achieve an average gate fidelity of Favg=99.93%. All of the schematics, firmware, and software are open-source.
The QICK (Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit), first introduced in 2022, is a standalone open source control system for quantum information science. Since then, QICK has been migrated to new hardware platforms, expanded its functionality for applications with different types of qubits (superconducting, atomic, ion-trapped, and spin defects), as well as quantum sensors, and quantum networks. QICK is a highly optimized control kit, with a library of functions that can be used for more than one application. In particular, the software and firmware are customized to minimize latency and maximize control performance and throughput. In this white paper, we describe hardware details and performance of the QICK Box. The QICK Box features up to 16 outputs, up to 8 inputs, and 8 20-bit DC biases. Modular output and input daughtercards give the choice of signal chains optimized for fast DC-coupled signals or RF signals up to 10 GHz. Power levels, step attenuation, and bandpass filtering are controlled by software. We demonstrate the system's performance through single-shot readout measurements of a six-transmon device at the Quantum Underground Instrumentation Experimental Testbed (QUIET) at Fermilab, achieving (91.7 +/- 0.4)% readout fidelity limited by T1 decay during the readout. The single shot readout signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is 4.4 +/- 0.1 without a quantum amplifier, confirming that the QICK Box is suitable for high-fidelity quantum control and measurement applications. Advances in firmware and software will be described in a separate paper.
<!--HTML-->The control of superconducting qubits, central to quantum computing, demands precise manipulation of fast microwave pulses. FPGAs offer ideal versatility for this task. However, due to FPGA complexity, institutions often opt for costly, pre-made solutions, limiting customization. We therefore presented Qibosoq, an open-source software package designed for radio frequency system on chip (RFSoC) platforms. Qibosoq bridges the RFSoC firmware provided by QICK, a Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit, with Qibo, an open-source quantum computing framework. By using RFSoC boards, it is possible to significantly lower the cost of a qubit-control hardware, while also maintaining high development flexibility. We present the Qibosoq software package, as well as the result of testing it with multiple qubits both as a characterization platform and as an algorithm executor, where we demonstrated the capability of the RFSoC board to accurately perform Quantum Machine Learning applications.
We present FIREQ (FPGA Instrumentation for Readout and Qubit control), an open-source RFSoC-based framework for the control and readout of superconducting qubits. FIREQ combines a modular AXI-compliant firmware architecture with a PYNQ-based software stack designed to support extensible hardware integration, deterministic experiment timing, and low-overhead execution of repeated calibration and characterization workflows. The firmware implements direct RF synthesis and acquisition, trigger-based sequencing, programmable pulse generation, frequency-multiplexed readout, and memory-efficient acquisition and waveform buffering. The software adopts a client-server architecture with streamed data transfer and dependency-aware configuration updates to reduce host-device and reconfiguration overhead during parameter sweeps. On an AMD Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC ZCU216, FIREQ generates RF pulses up to 9.3 GHz with a pulse-duration resolution of 107 ps and an event-timing resolution of 1.7 ns. FPGA resource utilization is compared with representative open-source RFSoC control frameworks, showing a low BRAM footprint while retaining full-rate I/Q generation and acquisition. The RF output is characterized in terms of phase noise, noise spectral density, and inter-channel timing skew. End-to-end operation is validated on a superconducting qubit through resonator spectroscopy, Rabi, Ramsey, and relaxation measurements, yielding T1 = 6.94 us and T2* = 13.50 us. FIREQ can therefore be used both as a qubit-control platform and as an experimental environment for evaluating alternative control and readout IP architectures.
Scalable quantum networks require quantum interfaces that coherently connect stationary matter qubits with flying photonic qubits. In solid-state defect platforms, such interfaces require coordinated optical excitation, microwave spin control, photon detection, and feedback with nanosecond-level timing, while conventional instrument-based control systems become increasingly difficult to scale as experimental protocols grow in complexity. Here we present an open-source FPGA control architecture for solid-state spin–photon interface experiments. Built on the Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit (QICK), the platform extends the existing FPGA overlay by integrating a programmable multi-channel single-photon counter, enabling photon-count–centric experiment execution while preserving compatibility with the QICK software ecosystem. This architecture integrates time-gated single-photon detection with synchronized RF, microwave, and digital control within a unified hardware environment. Using single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, we experimentally validate the platform through microwave spin manipulation, resonant optical control, automated measurement routines, and time-bin–encoded spin–photon correlation protocols relevant to quantum networking. These results establish an extensible and experimentally validated control framework for solid-state spin–photon interfaces, with clear potential to accelerate the development of scalable quantum-network nodes.