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arXiv:2501.11627 · Physical Review Applied

Andreev spin relaxation time in a shadow-evaporated InAs weak link

Haoran Lu, David Feldstein-Bofill, Zhenhai Sun, Thomas Kanne, Jesper Nygård, Morten Kjærgaard, Valla Fatemi

Published Jul 16, 2025• 7 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Andreev-spin qubits are a new qubit platform that merges superconductivity with semiconductor physics. The mechanisms dominating observed energy relaxation remain unidentified. We report here on three steps taken to address these questions in an $\mathrm{In}\mathrm{As}$ nanowire weak link. First, we designed a microwave readout circuit tuned to be directly sensitive to the spin-dependent inductance of the weak link so that higher orbital states are not necessary for readout---this resulted in larger windows in parameter space in which the spin-state properties can be probed. Second, we implemented a successful gap-engineering strategy to mitigate quasiparticle poisoning. Third, the weak link was fabricated by in situ shadow evaporation, which has been shown to improve atomic-scale disorder. We show how our design allows characterization of the spin stability and coherence over the full range of magnetic flux and gate voltage of an odd-parity bias point. The spin-relaxation and dephasing rates are comparable with those of the best devices previously reported, suggestive that surface atomic-scale disorder and quasiparticle poisoning are not linked to spin relaxation in $\mathrm{In}\mathrm{As}$ nanowires. Our design strategies are transferrable to novel materials platforms for Andreev qubits, such as germanium and carbon.

DOI
10.1103/v3lq-t5z8

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•Jan 20, 2021•3 citations
Andreev-spin qubits are a new qubit platform that merges superconductivity with semiconductor physics. The mechanisms dominating observed energy relaxation remain unidentified. We report here on three steps taken to address these questions in an InAs\mathrm{In}\mathrm{As}InAs nanowire weak link. First, we designed a microwave readout circuit tuned to be directly sensitive to the spin-dependent inductance of the weak link so that higher orbital states are not necessary for readout---this resulted in larger windows in parameter space in which the spin-state properties can be probed. Second, we implemented a successful gap-engineering strategy to mitigate quasiparticle poisoning. Third, the weak link was fabricated by in situ shadow evaporation, which has been shown to improve atomic-scale disorder. We show how our design allows characterization of the spin stability and coherence over the full range of magnetic flux and gate voltage of an odd-parity bias point. The spin-relaxation and dephasing rates are comparable with those of the best devices previously reported, suggestive that surface atomic-scale disorder and quasiparticle poisoning are not linked to spin relaxation in InAs\mathrm{In}\mathrm{As}InAs nanowires. Our design strategies are transferrable to novel materials platforms for Andreev qubits, such as germanium and carbon.
Abstract Josephson junctions based on semiconductor nanowires are potential building blocks for electrically tunable qubit structures, e.g., the gatemon or the Andreev qubit. However, an actual realization requires the thorough investigation of the intrinsic excitation spectrum. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of low-loss superconducting microwave circuits that combine high quality factors with a well-controlled gate architecture by utilizing a flip-chip approach. This platform is then used to perform single-tone and two-tone experiments on Andreev states in in-situ grown InAs/Al core/half-shell nanowires with shadow mask defined Josephson junctions. In gate-controlled and flux-biased spectroscopic measurements we find clear signatures of single quasiparticle as well as quasiparticle pair transitions between discrete Andreev bound states mediated by photon-absorption. Our experimental findings are supported by simulations that show that the junction resides in the intermediate channel length regime.
Excess quasiparticles play a crucial role in superconducting quantum devices ranging from qubits to quantum sensors. In this work we analyze their dynamics for phase-biased finite-length weak links with several Andreev subgap states, where the coupling to a microwave resonator allows for parity state (even or odd) readout. Our theory shows that almost perfect dynamical polarization in a given parity sector is achievable by applying a microwave pulse matching a transition in the opposite parity sector. Our results qualitatively explain key features of recent experiments on hybrid semiconducting nanowire Josephson junctions and provide theoretical guidelines for efficiently controlling the parity state of Andreev qubits.
The modern understanding of the Josephson effect in mesosopic devices derives from the physics of Andreev bound states, fermionic modes that are localized in a superconducting weak link. Recently, Josephson junctions constructed using semiconducting nanowires have led to the realization of superconducting qubits with gate-tunable Josephson energies. We have used a microwave circuit QED architecture to detect Andreev bound states in such a gate-tunable junction based on an aluminum-proximitized indium arsenide nanowire. We demonstrate coherent manipulation of these bound states, and track the bound-state fermion parity in real time. Individual parity-switching events due to nonequilibrium quasiparticles are observed with a characteristic timescale T_{parity}=160±10 μs. The T_{parity} of a topological nanowire junction sets a lower bound on the bandwidth required for control of Majorana bound states.
Planar germanium heterostructures are promising hosts for hybrid quantum devices due to their compatibility with superconductors, low material disorder, and relaxed fabrication constraints. Also, the potentially low density of nuclear spins and strong spin-orbit interaction make germanium attractive for coherent spin physics. However, recent microwave spectroscopy experiments were unable to resolve a spin-splitting of bound states in germanium Josephson junctions, the prerequisite for defining and controlling Andreev spin qubits. Here, we argue that compressive strain is the key mechanism suppressing spin splitting in current devices. Furthermore, we propose unstrained and tensile-strained heterostructures, fully compatible with state-of-the-art growth technology, that significantly enhance the relevant spin-orbit effect. By numerically simulating ballistic Josephson junctions, we predict spin splittings comfortably in the GHz range, more than 2 orders of magnitude larger than compressively strained cases, and all-electric quantum gates in a hundred nanoseconds. Our results establish strain engineering as a key design principle for realizing Andreev spin qubits in germanium-based devices.
Josephson junctions formed in semiconductor nanowires host Andreev bound states and serve as a physical platform to realize Andreev qubits tuned by electrostatic gating. With the Andreev bound state being confined to the nanoscale weak link, it couples to a circuit-QED architecture via the state-dependent supercurrent flowing through the weak link. Thus, increasing this coupling strength is a crucial challenge for this architecture. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication and microwave characterization of a weak link which is defined in an In As - Al (core-half shell) nanowire and embedded in a superconducting loop with a lumped-element resonator patterned from a thin Nb Ti N film with high kinetic inductance. We investigate several devices with various weak-link lengths and performed spectroscopy that revealed pair transitions and single-quasiparticle transitions arising from spin-orbit-split Andreev bound states. Our approach offers a compact geometry and a large resonator impedance above 12 k Ω at a resonator frequency of 8 GHz, which facilitates large coupling in the system. For the pair transitions, the experimentally observed energy level splitting demonstrates the coupling to an Andreev level of 490 MHz. We apply a perturbative model that shows good agreement with the experimental data and extract the maximum coupling of 968 MHz. Moreover, we show that the coupling is even stronger to an Andreev level with a higher transmission. In addition, spectroscopy of single-quasiparticle transitions reveals spin-orbit-split Andreev bound states with the extracted spin-photon coupling of 77 MHz.
A practical quantum computer demands a physical quantum bit (qubit) that is scalable, has a well-defined initial state, and brings together coherence with reliable control and read-out. A compelling idea is to put together a locally protected Majorana qubit with a superconducting qubit. The superconducting qubit is used to read out the Majorana states while the Majorana qubit may act as a quantum memory. This thesis presents a series of studies on quantum transport in semiconducting nanowires coupled to superconductors to investigate various platforms for realizing Majorana. These studies are followed by microwave measurements on superconducting circuits compatible with semiconducting-superconducting heterostructures. We first evaluate the potential of Ge/Si core/shell nanowires by achieving induced superconductivity as well as estimating spin-orbit coupling. Next we explore the transport mediated by Andreev bound states formed in InSb nanowire quantum. A subgap negative differential conductance is investigated together with the coalescing Andreev resonances at zero bias relevant for the correct interpretation of Majorana experiments done on the same structures. We conclude our studies of semiconducting nanowires by exploring tunnel junctions in Sn-InSb nanowires that are prepared by in-situ shadowing using nearby nanowires and flakes. Tin shells are found to induce a hard superconducting gap persisting up to high magnetic fields. We observe the two-electron charging effect from a small superconducting island of Sn-InSb. This effect is attributed to charge parity stability, which makes this nanowire system an intriguing candidate for superconducting and topological quantum circuits. These Sn-InSb junctions are then used as the nonlinear element in a transmon qubit design where we observe a dispersive coupling between this nanowire Josephson junction and a superconducting resonator. We also present our progress towards building a magnetic field resilient superconducting circuit that allows integration with semiconducting and topological structures. In the last chapter, InSb semiconducting nanowires are utilized as shadow masks prior to superconductor deposition on an InAs quantum well. We study Josephson current properties in Josephson junctions made from these nanowire shadows. Our results point to highly transparent junctions that can be developed further for hybrid superconductor-semiconductor qubit systems.