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arXiv:2312.11248

Quantized conductance in split gate superconducting quantum point contacts with InGaAs semiconducting two-dimensional electron systems

Kaveh Delfanazari, Jiahui Li, Yusheng Xiong, Ma, Pengcheng, Reuben K. Puddy, Teng Yi, Ian A. Farrer, Sachio Komori, Jason W. A. Robinson, Llorenç Serra, D. A. Ritchie, Michael Joseph Kelly, Hannah Jane Joyce, Charles G. Smith

Published Dec 18, 2023• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Quantum point contact or QPC -- a constriction in a semiconducting two-dimensional (2D) electron system with a quantized conductance -- has been found as the building block of novel spintronic, and topological electronic circuits. They can also be used as readout electronic, charge sensor or switch in quantum nanocircuits. A short and impurity-free constriction with superconducting contacts is a Cooper pairs QPC analogue known as superconducting quantum point contact (SQPC). The technological development of such quantum devices has been prolonged due to the challenges of maintaining their geometrical requirement and near-unity superconductor-semiconductor interface transparency. Here, we develop advanced nanofabrication, material and device engineering techniques and report on an innovative realisation of nanoscale SQPC arrays with split gate technology in semiconducting 2D electron systems, exploiting the special gate tunability of the quantum wells, and report the first experimental observation of conductance quantization in hybrid InGaAs-Nb SQPCs. We observe reproducible quantized conductance at zero magnetic fields in multiple quantum nanodevices fabricated in a single chip and systematically investigate the quantum transport of SQPCs at low and high magnetic fields for their potential applications in quantum metrology, for extremely accurate voltage standards, and fault-tolerant quantum technologies.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2312.11248

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Quantum point contact or QPC -- a constriction in a semiconducting two-dimensional (2D) electron system with a quantized conductance -- has been found as the building block of novel spintronic, and topological electronic circuits. They can also be used as readout electronic, charge sensor or switch in quantum nanocircuits. A short and impurity-free constriction with superconducting contacts is a Cooper pairs QPC analogue known as superconducting quantum point contact (SQPC). The technological development of such quantum devices has been prolonged due to the challenges of maintaining their geometrical requirement and near-unity superconductor-semiconductor interface transparency. Here, we develop advanced nanofabrication, material and device engineering techniques and report on an innovative realisation of nanoscale SQPC arrays with split gate technology in semiconducting 2D electron systems, exploiting the special gate tunability of the quantum wells, and report the first experimental observation of conductance quantization in hybrid InGaAs-Nb SQPCs. We observe reproducible quantized conductance at zero magnetic fields in multiple quantum nanodevices fabricated in a single chip and systematically investigate the quantum transport of SQPCs at low and high magnetic fields for their potential applications in quantum metrology, for extremely accurate voltage standards, and fault-tolerant quantum technologies.
A quantum point contact (QPC)—a constriction in a semiconducting two-dimensional electron system with a quantized conductance—is a building block of novel spintronic and topological electronic circuits. QPCs can also be used as readout electronics, charge sensors, or switches in quantum nanocircuits. A short and impurity-free constriction with superconducting contacts is a Cooper-pair QPC analogue known as a superconducting quantum point contact (SQPC). The technological development of such quantum devices has been prolonged due to the challenges of maintaining their geometrical requirement and near-unity superconductor-semiconductor interface transparency. Here, we develop advanced nanofabrication, material and device engineering techniques and report on an innovative realization of nanoscale hybrid SQPC arrays with split gate technology in semiconducting 2D electron systems. We exploit the special gate tunability of the quantum wells, and demonstrate the first experimental observation of conductance quantization in hybrid InGaAs-Nb SQPCs. We observe reproducible quantized conductance at zero magnetic fields in multiple quantum nanodevices fabricated in a single chip and systematically investigate the quantum transport of SQPCs at low and high magnetic fields for their potential applications in quantum metrology, for extremely accurate voltage standards, and fault-tolerant quantum technologies. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
A measurement system is developed for studying a lateral double quantum dot (DQD) device formed in the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) of a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure. Copper powder and RC filters are constructed to isolate the device from sources of instrumentation and thermal noise, allowing the temperature of the 2DEG to reach 70 mK. Coaxial cables and bias tees allow Gaussian shaped pulses to be delivered to several depletion gates of the device for the purpose of quantum dot qubit manipulation. A conventional charge detector based on a quantum point contact (QPC) and a room temperature current preamplifier is implemented. This readout has a bandwidth of 25 kHz. To improve readout bandwidth, a radio-frequency QPC (RF-QPC) circuit is also developed. A superconducting niobium inductor, manufactured using photolithography techniques, is the basis of a 520 MHz matching network. The RF-QPC system noise temperature is 5.2 K, limited by the cryogenic semiconductor amplifier. The RF-QPC has a bandwidth of 15 MHz. A summary of the first quantum dot physics measurements is provided. Data related to fundamental phenomena such as conductance quantization of a QPC, Coulomb blockade for a single dot, and spin blockade for a DQD are presented. A qubit based on two-electron spin states in a DQD (S-T₊ qubit) is created and coherent oscillations of the qubit known as Landau-Zener-Stückelberg oscillations are observed. Analysis of the spin-to-charge conversion mechanism associated with the qubit readout reveals the role played by metastable charge states, a result published in Physical Review B 92, 125434 (2015).
Quantum point contacts (QPC) are the building blocks of quantum dot qubits and semiconducting quantum electrical metrology circuits. QPCs also make highly sensitive electrical amplifiers with the potential to operate in the quantum-limited regime. Though the inherent operational bandwidth of QPCs can eclipse the THz regime, the impedance mismatch with the external circuitry limits the operation to a few kHz regimes. Lumped-element impedance-matching circuits are successful only up to a few hundreds of MHz. QPCs are characterised by a complex impedance consisting of quantized resistance, capacitance, and inductance elements. Characterising the complex admittance at higher frequencies and understanding the coupling of QPC to other circuit elements and electromagnetic environments will provide valuable insight into its sensing and backaction properties. In this work, we couple a QPC galvanically to a superconducting stub tuner impedance matching circuit realised in a coplanar waveguide architecture to enhance the operation frequency into the GHz regime and investigate the electrical amplification and complex admittance characteristics. The device, operating at ∼ 1.96GHz exhibits a conductance sensitivity of 2.92×10−5(e2/h)/Hz and a bandwidth of 13MHz. Besides, the RF reflected power unambiguously reveals the complex admittance characteristics of the QPC, shining more light on the behaviour of quantum tunnel junctions at higher operational frequencies.
Abstract Stable, reproducible, scalable, addressable, and controllable hybrid superconductor–semiconductor (S–Sm) junctions and switches are key circuit elements and building blocks of gate‐based quantum processors. The electrostatic field effect produced by the split gate voltages facilitates the realization of nano‐switches that can control the conductance or current in the hybrid S–Sm circuits based on 2D semiconducting electron systems. Here, a novel realization of large‐scale scalable, and gate voltage controllable hybrid field effect quantum chips is experimentally demonstrated. Each chip contains arrays of split gate field effect hybrid junctions, that work as conductance switches, and are made from In0.75Ga0.25As quantum wells integrated with Nb superconducting electronic circuits. Each hybrid junction in the chip can be controlled and addressed through its corresponding source–drain and two global split gate contact pads that allow switching between their (super)conducting and insulating states. A total of 18 quantum chips are fabricated with 144 field effect hybrid Nb‐ In0.75Ga0.25As 2DEG‐Nb quantum wires and the electrical response, switching voltage (on/off) statistics, quantum yield, and reproducibility of several devices at cryogenic temperatures are investigated. The proposed integrated quantum device architecture allows control of individual junctions in a large array on a chip useful for emerging cryogenic quantum technologies.
Abstract Probing single charge dynamics in solids can give insights into various quantum transport phenomena, most of which are fragile and short-time-scaled. Detection of these events in real-time requires a mesoscopic electrical amplifier with unprecedented sensitivity and operational bandwidth. In this work, we explore a hybrid electrical amplifier consisting of a semiconducting quantum point contact galvanically coupled to a superconducting λ /2 transmission-line resonator for ultra-fast and ultra-sensitive charge amplification. The resonator, made of aluminium with a coplanar waveguide geometry, is designed to operate at its first harmonic resonant mode ∼3.4 GHz, where the reflected power from the resonator is amplitude-modulated by the conductance changes in the quantum point contact channel. From the sidebands of the amplitude modulated reflected signal we extract a conductance sensitivity of 2.85 × 1 0 − 7 e 2 / h / H z 11.05 p S H z − 1 / 2 ). This sensitivity translates to a unit signal-to-noise measurement time ∼1.62 ns for a variation of 0.01 ( e 2 / h in the conductance. From the analysis of the noise characteristics of the device, we find that up to a few MHz of signal frequency the sensitivity is limited by the photon assisted shot-noise associated with the electron tunnelling in the QPC channel. The optimization of various operational parameters of the device reveals a bandwidth of ∼155 MHz which corresponds to a rise-time ∼2.2 ns. Both the sensitivity and bandwidth that we obtain are greater by an order compared to the existing reports. In addition, the device also exhibits very good sensitivities ∼ 3.58 × 1 0 − 4 e 2 / h / H z up to a measurable frequency of 240 MHz. The extremely high sensitivity, shot-noise limited detection, ultra-fast operation reaching the nanosecond time-scales, and the circuit QED architecture makes this scheme an attractive choice for single charge detection and counting experiments for spin-qubit readout and quantum electrical metrology.