For quantum computing with superconducting qubits, fabricating transmon qubits with increased coherence time is crucial, especially in view of multi-qubit quantum processors. The fabrication process, geometries and materials used to fabricate a transmon qubit are similar to the fabrication of CPW resonators. However, due to shorter fabrication time and straightforward measurement scheme of the latter, finding a way to increase the internal quality factor Qi in a CPW resonator is a quick way to gain insight into methods to increase the coherence time of a transmon qubit. The main goal of this research is to characterize the Qi at cryogenic temperature and single photon level of CPW resonators that are fabricated with novel surface treatments and etching techniques. The highest Qi is observed for resonators etched using Deep Reactive Ion Etching and HDMS surface treatment, which reached ∼106 at single photon level. This is comparable to the highest Qi reported in literature so far.
For quantum computing with superconducting qubits, fabricating transmon qubits with increased coherence time is crucial, especially in view of multi-qubit quantum processors. The fabrication process, geometries and materials used to fabricate a transmon qubit are similar to the fabrication of CPW resonators. However, due to shorter fabrication time and straightforward measurement scheme of the latter, finding a way to increase the internal quality factor Qi in a CPW resonator is a quick way to gain insight into methods to increase the coherence time of a transmon qubit. The main goal of this research is to characterize the Qi at cryogenic temperature and single photon level of CPW resonators that are fabricated with novel surface treatments and etching techniques. The highest Qi is observed for resonators etched using Deep Reactive Ion Etching and HDMS surface treatment, which reached ∼106 at single photon level. This is comparable to the highest Qi reported in literature so far.
We present a specific method for fabrication of the original evaporation mask and characterisation of the superconduct- ing coplanar waveguide (CPW) resonators based on the shadow evaporation technique [1]. We show that silicon dioxide can be successfully removed by etching process in HF-based solutions. This treatment significantly increases the intrinsic quality factor Qi of the resonators and is also suitable for other superconducting structures operated at temperatures of the order of 20 mK. In this report we present a design of superconducting CPW resonators with a high quality factor to study fundamental problems of high kinetic inductance of aluminum ultra-thin films. Our kinetic inductance research was motivated by the necessity of ultra-short and high quality resonators which could be suitable for qubit systems. Also this kinetic inductance could be used in the development of parametric amplifiers [2] or new types of qubits based on quantum phase slip [3].
Superconducting coplanar waveguide resonators are essential components in quantum processors, where their internal quality factor (Qi) constrains qubit coherence and readout fidelity. In niobium devices, microwave losses at millikelvin temperatures are strongly influenced by two-level systems (TLS) associated with the complex NbOx surface oxide. To mitigate these losses, we investigate a surface-engineering approach in which Nb films are capped in situ with a thin tantalum layer to suppress Nb2O5 formation and replace the native NbOx interface with a Ta-based oxide.
We fabricate Nb/Ta bilayer and reference Nb resonators on high-resistivity silicon using identical DC sputtering and wet etching conditions, and characterize their performance at millikelvin temperatures. Fresh Ta-encapsulated devices exhibit internal quality factors up to 2.4 x 10^6 in the near-single-photon regime, with power dependence consistent with reduced TLS-related loss at the metal-air interface. A control Nb device fabricated under the same process shows comparatively lower Q_TLS, consistent with the beneficial effect of the Ta capping layer. Furthermore, ageing tests performed on Nb/Ta resonators after six months reveal a moderate reduction in Q_TLS relative to their initial values, yet the performance remains superior to newly fabricated Nb-only devices. These results suggest that thin Ta encapsulation enhances interface quality and contributes to improved temporal stability while remaining compatible with Nb-based fabrication workflows.
Superconducting quantum computing systems, including coplanar waveguide (CPW) resonators and qubits, are highly susceptible to energy dissipation from two-level systems (TLS) within bulk and interfacial dielectrics. CPW resonators serve as an ideal platform for characterizing these material losses at the single-photon excitation level. Building on recent experimental evidence that interface engineering can mitigate TLS losses, this study employs simulations to evaluate resonator quality factors across various interface modifications. Our results demonstrate that reducing losses at the substrate–air (SA) interface can increase the internal quality factor Qi by up to three orders of magnitude. While etching the SA interface also enhances Qi, material loss remains the dominant dissipation mechanism. Furthermore, we find that other lossy interfaces have a significantly smaller impact on the quality factor compared to the SA interface. These simulation results align with established experimental findings, providing a robust framework for refining resonator design. This work offers precise guidelines for TLS mitigation, essential for enhancing coherence times and developing more reliable superconducting quantum processors.
Transmon qubits have become a leading technology in quantum information science (QIS), with fabrication techniques widely accessible. Historically, devices were predominantly made from aluminum (A1) and niobium (Nb), but state-of-the-art transmons now use tantalum (Ta) achieving coherence times up to and exceeding 0.5 milliseconds [1]–[3]. The differentiation in performance between Ta and Nb-based devices is attributed to the surface oxidation states affecting Two-Level-System (TLS) noise. One approach to quickly evaluating material and device performance consists of fabricating only the readout resonator of a qubit and evaluating the quality factor which is the strategy employed in this project. Our research focuses on Ta coplanar waveguide (CPW) resonators fabricated using a damascene technique producing pristine metal structures within silicon substrates. This approach increases the dielectric substrate's participation ratio while keeping device edges oxide-free due to entrenchment. This collaborative effort, involving Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), NY CREATES/SUNY Poly, and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), has resulted in resonators with Q factors as high as 104at low power. Ongoing studies aim to further understand and improve device performance by systematic analysis of oxygen trapped between device layers during processing. This research showcases the potential for significant improvements in superconducting qubit performance via the damascene process, heralding new possibilities for the advancement of scalable QIS technology.
Superconducting coplanar waveguide (CPW) microwave resonators in quantum circuits are the best components for reading and changing the state of artificial atoms because of their excellent coupling to quantum systems. This coupling forms the basis of the developing circuit quantum electrodynamic architecture. In quantum processors, oscillators are used to store and transmit quantum information using microwave-frequency wave packets. However, the presence of amorphous thin-film defects is deleterious and can result in an irrevocable loss of coherent information with uncontrolled degrees of freedom. Although there has been extensive research into techniques to reduce the coherent loss of such devices, the precise structure of amorphous dielectric layers on surfaces and interfaces and their associated loss mechanism are being actively studied. In particular, planar superconducting resonators are very sensitive to defects on their surfaces, such as two-level systems in oxidized metals and nonequilibrium quasiparticles, making these devices suitable probes for the different loss mechanisms. In this work, we present the design, fabrication, and characterization of Nb CPW resonators with different surface treatments with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), which mitigate the growth of oxides in superconducting circuits. We demonstrate SAM-passivated resonators having internal quality factors of greater than 10 6 at a single-photon excitation power (measured at 100 mK), which were probed using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy to demonstrate the efficiency of our surface treatment. Finally, we compared the improvements in the experimental quality factors to those obtained by numerical simulation.
Superconducting microwave resonators are important components of superconducting quantum information and astronomy detector systems. In this paper, we show how to modify the microwave resonator performance after fabrication through surface engineering. In particular, we focus on titanium nitride (TiN)/silicon (Si) resonators because they have shown potential for achieving high-quality factors (Qis). Depending on the type of surface treatment, chemicalor plasma-based, we found Qis that vary by approximately a factor of 18. We used inductively coupled plasma (ICP) combined with reactive ion etching (RIE) for the plasma surface treatment. We found that the microwave resonator performance depends on the type of plasma environment, such as single gas (oxygen) or gas mixtures [argon/hydrogen (Ar/H2), argon/octafluorocyclobutane (Ar/C4F8), and argon/sulfur hexafluoride (Ar/SF6)], and the plasma processing conditions, such as treatment time, ICP power, and RIE power. Of the plasma surface treatments, the Ar/SF6environments with no or low ICP power showed the highest potential to improve Qi. The processing conditions determined the chemistry and roughness of the Si and TiN surfaces, TiN film thickness, and the overall TiN/Si resonator structure (edge and sidewall). Our results can be used as a guideline for optimizing the microwave resonator performance using surface treatments.