The understanding of quantum mechanics enabled the development of technology such as transistors and has been the foundation of today’s information age. Actively using quantum mechanics to build quantum technology may cause a second revolution in handling information. However, to execute meaningful algorithms, largescale quantum computers have to be built. Such systems are constructed from many qubits, the quantum version of the classical bit. While exciting progress is being made across a range of different qubit platforms, achieving the radical scalability that is necessary to build a largescale processor could be a roadblock. Huge challenges are put on reproducibility, inand output connectivity and material quality. Qubits based on the spins of electrons and holes confined in semiconductor quantum dots may have an important advantage in constructing quantum processors. This platform can profit from the advanced semiconductor industry that was responsible for the first computing revolution. Group IV semiconductors such as silicon and germanium have a high compatibility with industrial semiconductor manufacturing and contain stable isotopes with zero nuclear spin. The materials can be isotopically purified and serve as excellent hosts for spins with long quantum coherence. In Chapter 3 we present quantum dot arrays in silicon metaloxidesemiconductor (SiMOS), strained silicon (Si/SiGe) and strained germanium (Ge/SiGe). A nearly identical integration scheme based on an overlapping gate structure can be used to define quantum dots in each platform. Each platform has its own opportunities, which are carefully assessed. By employing charge sensing we confirm that all quantum dots can be depleted to the singleelectron regime. We compare capacitive crosstalk and find it to be the smallest in SiMOS, relevant for the tuning of quantum dot arrays. Using this crossplatform integration, we can study qubits in each platform with minimal overhead. Long coherence times, excellent singlequbit gate fidelities and twoqubit logic have been demonstrated with SiMOS spin qubits, making it one of the leading platforms for quantum information processing. However, due to the high disorder at the Si/SiO2 interface compared to Ge/SiGe and Si/SiGe interface, quantum dots defined in SiMOS are small and achieving sufficient control over single electrons has been a long standing challenge. In Chapter 5 we show experiments on a double quantum dot that can be isolated from its reservoir. We demonstrate a tunable tunnel coupling between single electrons up to 13 GHz and tunable tunnel rates down to below 1 Hz. These results mark an important step towards the required degree of control over the location of and coupling between quantum dots, necessary for the operation of a large array.
The understanding of quantum mechanics enabled the development of technology such as transistors and has been the foundation of today’s information age. Actively using quantum mechanics to build quantum technology may cause a second revolution in handling information. However, to execute meaningful algorithms, largescale quantum computers have to be built. Such systems are constructed from many qubits, the quantum version of the classical bit. While exciting progress is being made across a range of different qubit platforms, achieving the radical scalability that is necessary to build a largescale processor could be a roadblock. Huge challenges are put on reproducibility, inand output connectivity and material quality. Qubits based on the spins of electrons and holes confined in semiconductor quantum dots may have an important advantage in constructing quantum processors. This platform can profit from the advanced semiconductor industry that was responsible for the first computing revolution. Group IV semiconductors such as silicon and germanium have a high compatibility with industrial semiconductor manufacturing and contain stable isotopes with zero nuclear spin. The materials can be isotopically purified and serve as excellent hosts for spins with long quantum coherence. In Chapter 3 we present quantum dot arrays in silicon metaloxidesemiconductor (SiMOS), strained silicon (Si/SiGe) and strained germanium (Ge/SiGe). A nearly identical integration scheme based on an overlapping gate structure can be used to define quantum dots in each platform. Each platform has its own opportunities, which are carefully assessed. By employing charge sensing we confirm that all quantum dots can be depleted to the singleelectron regime. We compare capacitive crosstalk and find it to be the smallest in SiMOS, relevant for the tuning of quantum dot arrays. Using this crossplatform integration, we can study qubits in each platform with minimal overhead. Long coherence times, excellent singlequbit gate fidelities and twoqubit logic have been demonstrated with SiMOS spin qubits, making it one of the leading platforms for quantum information processing. However, due to the high disorder at the Si/SiO2 interface compared to Ge/SiGe and Si/SiGe interface, quantum dots defined in SiMOS are small and achieving sufficient control over single electrons has been a long standing challenge. In Chapter 5 we show experiments on a double quantum dot that can be isolated from its reservoir. We demonstrate a tunable tunnel coupling between single electrons up to 13 GHz and tunable tunnel rates down to below 1 Hz. These results mark an important step towards the required degree of control over the location of and coupling between quantum dots, necessary for the operation of a large array.
Abstract Quantum computation (QC) is one of the most challenging quantum technologies that promise to revolutionize data computation in the long-term by outperforming the classical supercomputers in specific applications. Errors will hamper this quantum revolution if not sufficiently limited and corrected by quantum error correction codes thus avoiding quantum algorithm failures. In particular millions of highly-coherent qubits arranged in a two-dimensional array are required to implement the surface code, one of the most promising codes for quantum error correction. One of the most attractive technologies to fabricate such large number of almost identical high-quality devices is the well known metal-oxide-semiconductor technology. Silicon quantum processor manufacturing can leverage the technological developments achieved in the last 50 years in the semiconductor industry. Here, we review modeling, fabrication aspects and experimental figures of merit of qubits defined in the spin degree of freedom of charge carriers confined in quantum dots and donors in silicon devices along with classical electronics innovations for qubit control and readout. Furthermore, we discuss potential applications of the technology and finally we review the role of start-ups and companies in the silicon-based QC era.
Quantum physics governs the world at the microscopic scale and determines the properties of matter. While classical computers exploit quantum phenomena passively by relying on transistor technology, the concept of a quantum computer with active control over quantum states promises unprecedented possibilities for information encoding and processing. Already developed quantum algorithms are known to perform certain tasks faster than any existing classical algorithms, and quantum computers also promise the possibility for precise simulations of complex quantum systems, a task infeasible for classical computers. These points emphasize the need for the development of quantum computers. Considering quantum computers, the fundamental unit of information is a qubit, a two-level quantum system. Qubits, in contrast to classical bits which are either in state 0 or 1, can exist in quantum superposition of the states 0 and 1, allowing for more complex and parallel computations. While there are many options to encode a logical qubit in a physical system, spin 1/2 particles are considered a natural choice because their spin degree of freedom defines a qubit intrinsically. Semiconductors are a promising platform for hosting spin qubits, as they enable the confinement of electrons with spin 1/2 either through gate-defined quantum dots (QDs) or donor atoms. Among the possible choices of donor atoms, phosphorous 31P is particularly noteworthy because its nucleus has nuclear spin 1/2. Nuclear spins are prime candidates for qubit implementation because they demonstrated exceptionally long coherence times, but the underlying good isolation from their environment is a challenge when it comes to readout and control. In this thesis, we face this challenge by proposing a hybrid quantum dot-donor (QDD) system consisting of a gate defined silicon (Si) QD and a thereto laterally displaced 31P phosphorous donor atom implanted in the Si host material. A single electron is presumed to be confined in the system, which can be moved between the QD and the donor on demand. If its wave function overlaps with the donor atom, electron spin and the donor nuclear spin interact via the hyperfine interaction and the electron can act as a mediator between the nuclear spin qubit and the environment for readout and control, whereas the nuclear spin qubit can be set in an idling mode by shifting the electron to the QD. Importantly, the proposed system can be embedded in circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) architectures enabling strong coupling between the system’s electron spin and microwave resonator photons. This coupling is fundamental for the research presented in this thesis. Analyzing the envisioned system, we first propose a novel method for nuclear-spin readout by probing the resonator transmission. This method is based on the observation that the signature of strong electron spin-photon coupling in the resonator transmission is altered due to the hyperfine interaction, in such a manner that well separated signatures for the electron spin-photon coupling conditioned on the state of the nuclear spin arise. As the next step, we turn our attention to the control of nuclear spin qubits and especially to the challenge of realizing a two-qubit gate between distant nuclear spins. In this course, we derive an effective nuclear spin-photon coupling. While expected to be weak, this interaction can be harnessed to couple the nuclear spins of two distant QDD systems dispersively to a microwave resonator resulting in an entangling nuclear spin two-qubit √iSWAP gate with a gate fidelity approaching 90%. These two key findings represent a significant and valuable contribution to the field of quantum information processing using nuclear spins.
The charge and spin degrees of freedom of an electron constitute natural bases for constructing quantum two level systems, or qubits, in semiconductor quantum dots. The quantum dot charge qubit offers a simple architecture and high-speed operation, but generally suffers from fast dephasing due to strong coupling of the environment to the electron’s charge. On the other hand, quantum dot spin qubits have demonstrated long coherence times, but their manipulation is often slower than desired for important future applications. This talk will present experimental progress of a ‘hybrid’ qubit, formed by three electrons in a Si/SiGe double quantum dot, which combines desirable characteristics (speed and coherence) in the past found separately in qubits based on either charge or spin degrees of freedom. Using resonant microwaves, we first discuss qubit operations near the ‘sweet spot’ for charge qubit operation. Along with fast ( >GHz) manipulation rates for any rotation axis on the Bloch sphere, we implement two independent tomographic characterization schemes in the charge qubit regime: traditional quantum process tomography (QPT) and gate set tomography (GST). We also present resonant qubit operations of the hybrid qubit performed on the same device, DC pulsed gate operations of which were recently demonstrated. We demonstrate three-axis control and the implementation of dynamic decoupling pulse sequences. Performing QPT on the hybrid qubit, we show that AC gating yields π rotation process fidelities higher than 93% for X-axis and 96% for Z-axis rotations, which demonstrates efficient quantum control of semiconductor qubits using resonant microwaves. We discuss a path forward for achieving fidelities better than the threshold for quantum error correction using surface codes.
The realization of large-scale silicon quantum processors requires spin qubits compatible with advanced semiconductor manufacturing technologies, demanding lithographic processes that combine nanometer-scale precision with exceptional uniformity. Although the highest-performing silicon spin qubits demonstrated to date have relied on electron-beam (e-beam) lithography, its serial exposure process limits reproducibility studies and wafer-scale fabrication. Here, we demonstrate high-performance silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor (SiMOS) spin qubits fabricated using extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography in a 300 mm semiconductor pilot line. We report wafer-scale quantum-dot uniformity metrics, including 100 % room-temperature gate-to-gate leakage yield and sub-nanometer control of critical gate dimensions. We characterize four double-dot systems realized in two triple-quantum-dot devices. Gate set tomography (GST) reveals consistently high fidelities across all four systems, with values up to 99.8 % for SPAM, 99.9 % for single-qubit gates, and 99.1 % for two-qubit gates. The devices exhibit highly reproducible exchange turn-on characteristics of 10-13 dec/V, indicating high fabrication uniformity enabled by EUV patterning. These results establish EUV lithography as a viable manufacturing technology for quantum processors based on high-fidelity SiMOS spin qubits.
Spin qubits in semiconductor quantum dots constitute one of the leading platforms for quantum information processing, combining long coherence times, high-fidelity gate operations, and compatibility with semiconductor industry technologies. In particular, holes confined in planar Ge/SiGe heterostructures have recently emerged as promising qubit candidates owing to their low effective mass, high mobility, low percolation density, absence of valley states, and strong spin-orbit interaction, which enables fast all-electrical spin control. At the same time, spin-orbit interaction also gives rise to a highly anisotropic and electrically tunable gyromagnetic response. Understanding and controlling this response is therefore essential for high-fidelity single- and multi-qubit operations. The realization of scalable quantum processors also requires efficient qubit readout and long-range connectivity. Circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED), based on the coupling between artificial atoms and microwave photons confined in superconducting resonators, provides a natural framework to address these challenges. However, the implementation of hybrid semiconductor-superconductor devices in planar Ge has so far been hindered by large microwave losses originating from the heterostructure. In this thesis, we demonstrate, for the first time in planar Ge, strong coupling between a hole charge qubit in a double quantum dot and a high-impedance microwave resonator, reaching a cooperativity of C â 100. In addition, we leverage the frequency tunability of the resonator to perform detailed spectroscopy of a multi-level energy spectrum of low-lying states arising from strong Coulomb-correlation effects. To further improve the quality of the hole-photon interface, we investigate the source of microwave losses in different Ge/SiGe heterostructures, identifying defects at the lattice-mismatched Si/Ge interface as the dominant source of resonator losses in reverse-graded heterostructures. To mitigate this limitation, a deep tapered-etching approach is introduced, enabling the fabrication of superconducting resonators directly on etched heterostructures. This method yields internal quality factors exceeding Qint > 10 000 for high-impedance Josephson junction array resonators and Qint > 100 000 for 50 â Nb resonators. Finally, this thesis explores the spin properties of multi-hole quantum dots beyond the conventional single-orbital picture. By reconstructing and electrically tuning the g tensors of holes confined in different orbital states, we show that confinement can substantially modify both their magnitude and orientation. These results open new opportunities for engineering qubit properties through orbital occupation. Furthermore, highly coherent singlet-triplet oscillations are demonstrated in the seven-hole regime, yielding a quality factor of approximately 330 at in-plane magnetic fields as low as 2.5 mT. Together, these results establish a foundation for high-fidelity hole-spin-qubit operation based on g-tensor engineering and for the integration of planar Ge quantum dots with superconducting quantum circuits.
There is a growing demand for quantum computing across various sectors, including finance, materials, and studying chemical reactions. A promising implementation involves semiconductor qubits utilizing quantum dots within transistors. While academic research labs currently produce their own devices, scaling this process is challenging, requires expertise, and results in devices of varying quality. Some initiatives are exploring the use of commercial transistors, offering scalability, improved quality, affordability, and accessibility for researchers. This paper delves into potential realizations and the feasibility of employing off-the-shelf commercial devices for qubits. It addresses challenges such as noise, coherence, limited customizability in large industrial fabs, and scalability issues. The exploration includes discussions on potential manufacturing approaches for early versions of small qubit chips. The use of state-of-the-art transistors as hosts for quantum dots, incorporating readout techniques based on charge sensing or reflectometry, and methods like electron shuttling for qubit connectivity are examined. Additionally, more advanced designs, including 2D arrays and crossbar or DRAM-like access arrays, are considered for the path toward accessible quantum computing.