Superconducting resonators are finding increasing applications in designing advanced quantum circuits for ongoing sensing, metrology, and computing technological revolution. A detailed knowledge of microscopic electromagnetic properties of superconducting resonators is directly relevant for their further improvements on circuitry design and device performance. Here, we introduce scanning-probe quantum microscopy to report nanoscale sensing of microwave and static magnetic field environment of an on-chip niobium (Nb) superconducting resonator. Taking advantage of Rabi oscillation measurements, we show that microwave magnetic fields generated by the superconducting resonator mode can be utilized to achieve coherent control of a quantum spin sensor. We further visualize static electromagnetic field response of the Nb resonator, showing magnetic field-induced formation, evolution, and depinning of superconducting vortices. Our results provide insights into future design, testing and evaluation of solid-state superconducting resonators, highlighting the potential of quantum sensors as a local probe to investigate electromagnetic properties of superconducting quantum circuits.
Superconducting resonators are finding increasing applications in designing advanced quantum circuits for ongoing sensing, metrology, and computing technological revolution. A detailed knowledge of microscopic electromagnetic properties of superconducting resonators is directly relevant for their further improvements on circuitry design and device performance. Here, we introduce scanning-probe quantum microscopy to report nanoscale sensing of microwave and static magnetic field environment of an on-chip niobium (Nb) superconducting resonator. Taking advantage of Rabi oscillation measurements, we show that microwave magnetic fields generated by the superconducting resonator mode can be utilized to achieve coherent control of a quantum spin sensor. We further visualize static electromagnetic field response of the Nb resonator, showing magnetic field-induced formation, evolution, and depinning of superconducting vortices. Our results provide insights into future design, testing and evaluation of solid-state superconducting resonators, highlighting the potential of quantum sensors as a local probe to investigate electromagnetic properties of superconducting quantum circuits.
Superconducting resonators are finding increasing applications in designing advanced quantum circuits for an ongoing sensing, metrology, and computing technological revolution. A detailed knowledge of the microscopic electromagnetic properties of superconducting resonators is directly relevant for their further improvements on circuitry design and device performance. Here, we introduce scanning-probe quantum microscopy to report nanoscale sensing of the microwave and static magnetic field environment of an on-chip niobium (Nb) superconducting resonator. Taking advantage of Rabi oscillation measurements, we show that microwave magnetic fields generated by the superconducting resonator mode can be utilized to achieve coherent control of a quantum spin sensor. We further visualize the static electromagnetic field response of the Nb resonator, showing magnetic field-induced formation, evolution, and depinning of superconducting vortices. Our results provide insights into future design, testing, and evaluation of solid-state superconducting resonators, highlighting the potential of quantum sensors as a local probe to investigate electromagnetic properties of superconducting quantum circuits.
Superconducting circuits are arguably taking a leading role in driving the ongoing quantum technological revolution. A detailed knowledge of the microscopic fluctuating electromagnetic properties plays an important role in advancing the circuitry design, testing, and material integration of cutting-edge superconducting quantum electronics. Here, we report scanning nitrogen-vacancy (NV) quantum sensing of local magnetic noise environment of an on-chip superconducting resonator. We find that quasiparticle-induced fluctuating magnetic fields can drive NV spin relaxation, which shows a peak value around the superconducting transition point of niobium at the thermal equilibrium state. External microwave driving at the resonator mode frequency significantly increases the quasiparticle density, leading to enhancement of magnetic noise. We further perform optically detected magnetic resonance measurements to demonstrate quasiparticle magnetic noise mediated off-resonant dipole coupling between the NV center and niobium resonator. Our Letter reports experimental observation of the Hebel-Slichter peak signature by an external sensor outside of a superconductor. The presented study also highlights the advantages of quantum sensors in investigating miniaturized superconducting devices, providing insights into their future performance improvements.
We report on the design and performance of a cryogenic (300 mK) near-field scanning microwave microscope. It uses a microwave resonator as the near-field sensor, operating at a frequency of 6 GHz and microwave probing amplitudes down to 100 μV, approaching low enough photon population (N ∼ 1000) of the resonator such that coherent quantum manipulation becomes feasible. The resonator is made out of a miniaturized distributed fractal superconducting circuit that is integrated with the probing tip, micromachined to be compact enough such that it can be mounted directly on a quartz tuning-fork, and used for parallel operation as an atomic force microscope (AFM). The resonator is magnetically coupled to a transmission line for readout, and to achieve enhanced sensitivity we employ a Pound-Drever-Hall measurement scheme to lock to the resonance frequency. We achieve a well localized near-field around the tip such that the microwave resolution is comparable to the AFM resolution, and a capacitive sensitivity down to 6.4 × 10(-20) F/Hz, limited by mechanical noise. We believe that the results presented here are a significant step towards probing quantum systems at the nanoscale using near-field scanning microwave microscopy.
Hybrid quantum systems play an essential role in efforts towards the advancements of quantum information technology and quantum sensing by bridging distinct technological platforms. In particular, hybrid systems comprising superconducting microwave circuits are being pursued intensely in light of existing achievements in superconducting qubits and precise quantum control in microwave circuits. Their realization relies on the design of superconducting resonators capable of coupling to an oscillatory mode of a second quantum system, facilitating the probing and manipulation of one via the other. In order to accommodate the coupled system, its particular constraints and requirements must be respected, which may be quite extreme from the perspective of established superconducting circuit design and operation. Overcoming this challenge has proved to be a substantial obstacle for the attainment of strongly coupled hybrid systems, despite spectacular advances in superconducting microwave circuits individually. In this work, we examine two approaches tackling this issue for different hybrid quantum systems, focusing on the optimization and characterization of the superconducting circuits. The first device aims at a superconductor-atom hybrid system through the coupling to Rydberg-Rydberg transitions in ultra-cold Rb-87 atoms trapped near the superconducting chip. Using simulations in conjunction with theoretical considerations, we demonstrate a comprehensive geometry parameter optimization procedure for maximum coupling rate. Presenting an experimental implementation of the resulting circuit, we validate its suitability for use under the intended operation conditions, including the option of tuning the electronic transition frequencies using a dc voltage. Secondly, we investigate a device designed for applications in large magnetic in-plane fields used to mediate coupling to integrated micromechanical oscillators; more specifically it is a flux-tunable SQUID resonator comprising Josephson nano-constrictions as nonlinear inductive components. Performing a thorough characterization of its frequency and Kerr anharmonicity tuning behavior at fields up to several hundred mT, we discover a pronounced asymmetry in its flux response at large fields. We show this asymmetry to be caused by the nano-constrictions turning into Josephson diodes, develop an intuitive macroscopic model for its field-induced emergence and reconstruct the diode current-phase relation from the flux tuning data. Several figures of merit informing the suitability of the SQUID resonators for optomechanical systems as well as other applications are improved by the diode effect, highlighting the potential of Josephson diodes in superconducting microwave circuits. Our results provide a promising stepping stone for the advancement of hybrid systems involving superconducting microwave circuits, putting new and exciting operation and coupling regimes within reach.
Superconducting microwave circuits are shaped by their local electromagnetic environment, yet standard microwave measurements do not resolve the local fields and device features that govern their behavior. Here, we combine microwave spectroscopy, nanoscale magnetic sensing, and topographic imaging in a single tapping-mode SQUID-on-tip microscope. The nonlinear Josephson response converts local GHz excitations into Shapiro steps, enabling quantitative measurements of microwave frequency signals and their excitation strength using only DC readout. Applied to a superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator, local spectroscopy reproduces the power-dependent resonance and nonlinear bifurcation observed in microwave transmission measurements. Spatially resolved measurements map the microwave response while simultaneously recording topography and static magnetic features, including vortices and Meissner screening currents. Electromagnetic simulations reveal how coupling through the superconducting probe leads limits spatial resolution and guides localized detector designs. Together, these capabilities establish a platform for correlating microwave circuit dynamics with the local structural and magnetic environment of superconducting devices.
In this thesis we use high-Q superconducting thin-film microwave resonators to interact with several types of quantum mechanical two-level systems. Such a resonator is used as the central building block in a cryogenic near-field scanning microwave microscope (NSMM) to reach a completely new regime of NSMM operation. In this regime where the superconducting resonator is only populated with a small number of photons, we demonstrate a capacitance sensitivity down to 64x10^(-21) Farad/rtHz and nanoscale resolution, which is sufficient to apply this scanning probe technique to quantum coherent objects. Such a 'coherent'-NSMM enables several new applications: for example to study the interaction of the NSMM probe with two-level defects in samples and to characterize artificial two-level systems (qubits), which eventually could lead to better understanding of decoherence mechanisms in superconducting quantum circuits. We demonstrate the ability to reach this regime in a sample consisting of a Cooper-pair box (CPB) weakly coupled to a superconducting resonator. In the strong driving regime we observe Landau-Zener-Stückelberg interference and we discover a new type of relaxation mechanism in the strongly driven CPBthat involves pair breaking and quasiparticle tunneling. It results in a recovered parity of the CPB and a population inversion of the dressed states. Not only does this demonstrate the applicability of NSMM for qubit characterization, but the quasiparticle mediated population inversion also becomes suitable for robust charge sensing in a scanning probe setup. To integrate the superconducting resonator onto our NSMM probe we develop a new type of resonator design - the fractal design - that have a very small external dipole moment allowing for a compact resonator. Another advantage of the fractal resonator is its resilience to magnetic fields. We show that the fractal resonator, after further optimization, can maintain quality factors above 10^5 in applied fields of more than 400 mT, something that becomes particularly useful for the interrogation of spin ensembles coupled to the resonator. We demonstrate that it is possible to detect down to 5x10^5 spins/rtHz in a very small volume coupled to a fractal resonator. Furthermore, the low dipole moment of the fractal resonator allows us to also introduce DC bias into the resonator without degrading its Q-factor. This is an important technological step that allows us to interact with new materials where spins can be quickly and locally manipulated using electric fields and we demonstrate the first steps in this direction with ensembles of manganese doped ZnO nanowires and frustrated molecular Cu spin triangles.The measurements achieve a very high sensitivity thanks to the Pound-Drever-Hall locking technique used. We develop this technique such that both resonance frequency and quality factor can be monitored with very high accuracy in real time. The demonstrated stability is ~30 Hz/rtHz for frequency readout and we can determine the Q-factor with a precision of 34 dB/rtHz.