Quantum computing may be the key to solving many of the problems our modern world faces today. Just as regular computers boosted our computing power to scales never imagined before, so too could quantum computers allow us to solve problems that we just do not yet have the computational power for. However, a properly functioning quantum computer that outclasses current classical computers is not yet a reality. Many di_erent platforms for quantum computing are being researched. Experiments are being done with diamond vacancies (see, for example, [1]), trapped ions [2], nuclear spins in NMR [3] and silicon quantum dots [4], to name a few. One of the most promising types of qubits is based on superconducting circuits [5]. The most widely studied and most promising superconducting qubit is the Transmon qubit [6]. One of the advantages of this type of qubit is that it can be fabricated using currently available lithographic patterning equipment. However, when fabricating Transmon chips, there is a problem of non-uniformity: when using the exact same method to make two chips, they can be vastly di_erent. As such, every chip needs to be characterised after fabrication. Characterising a chip means _nding speci_c important parameters for the qubits, such as their frequency and coherence times. For use in a quantum computer, qubit frequencies will have te be targeted with more precision than is currently possible [7] [8]. As such, a technique that allows change a qubit's frequency after its fabrication is very useful. In this thesis, such a technique is presented. The characterisation process of a Transmon chip is then explained. The data of the three chips that were subjected to the aforementioned technique is also presented.
Quantum computing may be the key to solving many of the problems our modern world faces today. Just as regular computers boosted our computing power to scales never imagined before, so too could quantum computers allow us to solve problems that we just do not yet have the computational power for. However, a properly functioning quantum computer that outclasses current classical computers is not yet a reality. Many di_erent platforms for quantum computing are being researched. Experiments are being done with diamond vacancies (see, for example, [1]), trapped ions [2], nuclear spins in NMR [3] and silicon quantum dots [4], to name a few. One of the most promising types of qubits is based on superconducting circuits [5]. The most widely studied and most promising superconducting qubit is the Transmon qubit [6]. One of the advantages of this type of qubit is that it can be fabricated using currently available lithographic patterning equipment. However, when fabricating Transmon chips, there is a problem of non-uniformity: when using the exact same method to make two chips, they can be vastly di_erent. As such, every chip needs to be characterised after fabrication. Characterising a chip means _nding speci_c important parameters for the qubits, such as their frequency and coherence times. For use in a quantum computer, qubit frequencies will have te be targeted with more precision than is currently possible [7] [8]. As such, a technique that allows change a qubit's frequency after its fabrication is very useful. In this thesis, such a technique is presented. The characterisation process of a Transmon chip is then explained. The data of the three chips that were subjected to the aforementioned technique is also presented.
This thesis mainly summarizes two experiments that relate to building a quantum computer out of superconducting transmon qubits. Transmon qubits have emerged as one of the foremost solid state qubits, realizing processors with more than ten qubits and demonstrating small scale quantum algorithms as well as quantum error correction schemes. Right now, there is a race between different academic and industry research groups to scale up transmon qubit processors. The first experiment was a demonstration of qubit control by selective broadcasting in order to reduce the scaling of expensive electronics with the number of qubits for individual single-qubit control. We demonstrated that we can bring two transmon qubits to the same frequency (combining fabrication accuracy and in-situ fine tuning) and use the same hardware to control both, routing the pulses with a nanosecond-timescale vector switch matrix. Despite the compromises required by this technique, we show a scalable path to single qubit control beyond the threshold required for quantum error correction. In benchmarking, we take into account gate leakage due to the fact that transmons are fundamentally multi-level systems. In the second experiment we establish entanglement between two transmon qubits on different chips. We use an entanglement by measurement scheme and demonstrate that we can overcome minor fabrication imperfections by shaping our measurement pulses. Ultimately, performance is mainly limited by photon loss between the chips and up to the amplification chain. This entanglement mediated by traveling photons could be used to make a distributed transmon processor where computations are spread across several chip modules. This modularity could enable connectivities that cannot be realized on chip and ease fabrication requirements, as modules could be individually fabricated and selected. Thus, both of these experiments fit into the larger effort to converge on the hardware, control equipment and architecture of a future large-scale transmon quantum computer. Other experiments I contributed to are summarized in the conclusion chapter to show the diverse physics that can be studied in cQED experiments.
Cloud-based quantum computers have become a reality with a number of companies allowing for cloud-based access to their machines with tens to more than 100 qubits. With easy access to quantum computers, quantum information processing will potentially revolutionize computation, and superconducting transmon-based quantum computers are among some of the more promising devices available. Cloud service providers today host a variety of these and other prototype quantum computers with highly diverse device properties, sizes, and performances. The variation that exists in today‘s quantum computers, even among those of the same underlying hardware, motivate the study of how one device can be clearly differentiated and identified from the next. As a case study, this work focuses on the properties of 25 IBM superconducting, fixed-frequency transmon-based quantum computers that range in age from a few months to approximately 2.5 years. Through the analysis of current and historical quantum computer calibration data, this work uncovers key features within the machines, primarily frequency characteristics of transmon qubits, that can serve as a basis for a unique hardware fingerprint of each quantum computer.
Quantum computers have the potential to solve problems which are classically intractable. Superconducting qubits present a promising path to building such a computer. Recent experiments with these qubits have demonstrated the principles of quantum error correction, quantum simulation, quantum annealing, and more. Current research with superconducting qubits is focused on two primary goals: creating a fully fault tolerant logical qubit out of many physical qubits using surface code error correction, and demonstrating an exponential speedup over any classical computer for a well-defined computational problem. To achieve either of these goals requires high precision control of three components: single qubit gates, two qubit gates, and qubit measurement. In this thesis, we use randomized benchmarking to characterize single qubit gates with 99.95\\% fidelity and two qubit gates wiht 99.5\\% fidelity in superconducting transmon qubits. In addition, we use standard decoherence measurements as well as newly developed extensions of randomized benchmarking to determine the limiting sources of error. Finally, we explore the surprisingly complicated dynamics of measuring the transmon state through a coupled resonator, and show that fully understanding this process requires breaking a few "standard" assumptions.
The quest to design a realizable quantum computer is a dream for many for the past few decades. At the moment, one of the promising designs is the transmon qubit, which is a superconducting qubit is the focus of this work. In order to analyze and design different components of a quantum chip, an understanding of the circuitry is required. By varying the circuit parameters, one can design the system according to requirements by constructing the required physical geometry that incorporates the design parameters. In this thesis work, part of the focus was to understand the transmon qubit circuit parameters, extract the circuit parameters such as capacitances from a physical geometry, build analytic and numerical 3D FEM models. Using a circuit model of the qubit system, the interdependence of the resonators that connects qubits with each other can be studied. Their resonances play a role in the qubit Hamiltonian and can be estimated by constructing accurate simulation models. This problem statement has been dealt with in the thesis work by constructing a hybrid circuitry of standard circuit components and 3D FEM simulated qubit unit cells. The quality factor of the measurement readout resonator of a qubit system needs to be characterized in a qubit system in order to target the rate and resolution at which the measurements can be done. In order to do so, the circuit parameters that affect the quality factor needs to be investigated. This problem statement has also been treated in this work.
Quantum chips form the foundational hardware for quantum computing, promising transformative impacts across optimization, secure communications, and artificial intelligence. This paper surveys five leading qubit implementations—superconducting circuits, neutral-atom arrays, trapped ions, photonic systems, and silicon-based quantum dots—highlighting their distinct operating principles, recent milestones, and inherent trade-offs. Superconducting platforms leverage mature microfabrication to achieve hundreds to thousands of qubits with rapid gate times but require millikelvin environments and face millisecond-scale coherence limits. Neutral-atom and ion-trap architectures offer exceptionally long coherence (seconds to hours) and high-fidelity operations, making them ideal for quantum memory and precision simulation, yet scaling remains constrained by control complexity. Photonic chips excel at room-temperature operation and quantum networking via entangled photons, though deterministic two-qubit gates and on-chip integration pose challenges. Silicon quantum dots promise CMOS compatibility and sub-microsecond spin coherence, but demand atomic-scale fabrication precision and advanced cryogenic control. We analyze the tension between qubit count, error rates, and engineering practicality, and discuss emerging solutions such as hybrid integration, advanced error-correction codes, and novel materials. Looking ahead, coordinated optimization across these platforms—combining fast superconducting processors, long-lived atomic memories, photonic interconnects, and scalable silicon arrays—will be critical to transition quantum chips from research prototypes to industrially viable systems that redefine computing, communications, and AI.
Superconducting transmon qubits are a leading technology for quantum information processing, yet their reliable operation rests on meticulous calibration and characterization routines. These processes have been fine-tuned and are relatively well understood by the quantum computing community. Nevertheless, it is often challenging for newcomers to compile all the available information into a practical experimental flow. In this tutorial, we present a comprehensive walkthrough for the characterization and optimization of tunable transmon qubits, demonstrated on a commercial five-qubit processor. Moving beyond theoretical description, we detail in a straightforward manner the complete workflow, from cryogenic setup and wiring to parametric amplifier optimum operation, flux sweet-spot identification, pulse calibration, and readout optimization. We also demonstrate the characterization of qubit-qubit coupling, covering all steps before multiqubit operations. This guide serves as a reference for experimentalists seeking to efficiently bring up transmon-based quantum devices.