SAND2024-08598O The Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit Defect Arbitrary Waveform Generator (QICKDAWG) characterizes nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond and other defects. It does this by using a radio frequency system-on-a-chip (RFSoC) field programmable gate array (FPGA). QICKDAWG synthesizes microwave pulses from the RFSoC to change the spin state of the defects. The software also allows for laser control using the RFSoC, which optically pumps defects. Ultimately, QICKDAWG supports the implementation of RFSoC FPGAs in defect characterization. This replaces the slow, expensive, traditional hardware, thus lowering the cost and time for defect characterization. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.
SAND2024-08598O The Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit Defect Arbitrary Waveform Generator (QICKDAWG) characterizes nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond and other defects. It does this by using a radio frequency system-on-a-chip (RFSoC) field programmable gate array (FPGA). QICKDAWG synthesizes microwave pulses from the RFSoC to change the spin state of the defects. The software also allows for laser control using the RFSoC, which optically pumps defects. Ultimately, QICKDAWG supports the implementation of RFSoC FPGAs in defect characterization. This replaces the slow, expensive, traditional hardware, thus lowering the cost and time for defect characterization. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA0003525.
Quantum information communication, sensing, and computation often require complex and expensive instrumentation resulting in a large entry barrier. The Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit (QICK) overcomes this barrier for superconducting qubits with a collection of software and firmware for state-of-the-art radio frequency system on chip (RFSoC's) field programmable gate architecture (FPGA) chips. Here we present a software and firmware extension to QICK, the Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit - Defect Arbitrary Waveform Generator (QICK-DAWG), which is an open-source software and firmware package that supports full quantum control and measurement of nitrogen-vacancy defects in diamond and other quantum defects using RFSoC FPGAs. QICKDAWG extends QICK to the characterization of nitrogen-vacancy defects and other diamond quantum defects by implementing DC-1 GHz readout, AOM or gated laser control, and analog or photon counting readout options. QICK-DAWG also adds pulse sequence programs and data analysis scripts to collect and characterize photoluminescence (PL) intensity, optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) spectra, PL readout windows, Rabi oscillations, Ramsay interference spectra, Hahn echo spin-spin relaxation times T2, and spin-lattice relaxation times T1. We demonstrate that QICK-DAWG is a powerful new paradigm of open source quantum hardware that significantly lowers the entry barrier and cost for quantum sensing using quantum defects.
Dynamical decoupling techniques are widely used to characterize and control the environments of solid-state quantum defects, enabling solid-state quantum memories and nanoscale quantum sensors. However, resolution is often limited by the timing granularity of control hardware, which can undersample narrow spectral features and distort extracted parameters. Here, we demonstrate sub-nanosecond timing control on an inexpensive FPGA-based platform by extending the open-source QICK (Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit) framework using a waveform-offset method. This approach achieves an effective timing resolution of 200~ps on an RF system-on-chip device without modification to the underlying hardware. We apply this capability to dynamical decoupling spectroscopy of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, enabling precise extraction of hyperfine couplings of individual 13C nuclear spins and resolving spectral features that are otherwise undersampled. These results demonstrate that high-resolution, device-level characterization of spin-based quantum memories can be achieved using flexible, inexpensive control hardware, providing a scalable alternative to commercial arbitrary waveform generators.
We introduce a Xilinx RF System-on-Chip (RFSoC)-based qubit controller (called the Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit, or QICK for short), which supports the direct synthesis of control pulses with carrier frequencies of up to 6 GHz. The QICK can control multiple qubits or other quantum devices. The QICK consists of a digital board hosting an RFSoC field-programmable gate array, custom firmware, and software and an optional companion custom-designed analog front-end board. We characterize the analog performance of the system as well as its digital latency, important for quantum error correction and feedback protocols. We benchmark the controller by performing standard characterizations of a transmon qubit. We achieve an average gate fidelity of Favg=99.93%. All of the schematics, firmware, and software are open-source.
<!--HTML-->The control of superconducting qubits, central to quantum computing, demands precise manipulation of fast microwave pulses. FPGAs offer ideal versatility for this task. However, due to FPGA complexity, institutions often opt for costly, pre-made solutions, limiting customization. We therefore presented Qibosoq, an open-source software package designed for radio frequency system on chip (RFSoC) platforms. Qibosoq bridges the RFSoC firmware provided by QICK, a Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit, with Qibo, an open-source quantum computing framework. By using RFSoC boards, it is possible to significantly lower the cost of a qubit-control hardware, while also maintaining high development flexibility. We present the Qibosoq software package, as well as the result of testing it with multiple qubits both as a characterization platform and as an algorithm executor, where we demonstrated the capability of the RFSoC board to accurately perform Quantum Machine Learning applications.
Arbitrary Waveform Generators (AWGs) have widespread applications in telecommunications, quantum computing, and biomedical engineering, among others, due to their ability to generate a wide range of waveforms precisely and instantaneously. This work focuses on developing a scalable and energy-efficient AWG for qubit control. A simple methodology for bringing up a Radio-Frequency System-on-Chip (RFSoC) board and using it to generate various arbitrary waveforms has been discussed. A software-hardware codesign paradigm has been used in this work to dynamically control the output frequency, voltage and shape of the arbitrary waveforms. Similarly, the on-the-fly programmability of four Digital to Analog convertor (DAC) channels and four Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) channels have been tested. The voltage and frequency response of the DAC output has also been characterised to better understand the limitations of the RFSoC. The DAC-ADC loopback characterisation was also performed to prepare the RFSoC for qubit state readout measurements. Over the last few decades, the Direct Digital Synthesiser (DDS) has been a popular choice for generating specific waveforms, such as sinusoidal and ramp waveforms, due to its low cost, simple design, and high precision. Several prior-art works were surveyed, and the trade-offs and strengths of each architecture were summarised. A benchmarking table is prepared based on the Power, Performance and Area (PPA) analysis to make design selection easier for DDS designers. Two Figure of Merit definitions and scaling equations have also been used to normalise the specifications to a target process node (28 nm CMOS), to provide a more accurate comparison among state-of-the-art DDS designs on Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), and to set expectations for future architectural advancements in DDS design. Finally, a viable DDS-based AWG architecture for ASIC implementation has also been proposed based on the benchmarking.
Scalable quantum networks require quantum interfaces that coherently connect stationary matter qubits with flying photonic qubits. In solid-state defect platforms, such interfaces require coordinated optical excitation, microwave spin control, photon detection, and feedback with nanosecond-level timing, while conventional instrument-based control systems become increasingly difficult to scale as experimental protocols grow in complexity. Here we present an open-source FPGA control architecture for solid-state spin–photon interface experiments. Built on the Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit (QICK), the platform extends the existing FPGA overlay by integrating a programmable multi-channel single-photon counter, enabling photon-count–centric experiment execution while preserving compatibility with the QICK software ecosystem. This architecture integrates time-gated single-photon detection with synchronized RF, microwave, and digital control within a unified hardware environment. Using single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, we experimentally validate the platform through microwave spin manipulation, resonant optical control, automated measurement routines, and time-bin–encoded spin–photon correlation protocols relevant to quantum networking. These results establish an extensible and experimentally validated control framework for solid-state spin–photon interfaces, with clear potential to accelerate the development of scalable quantum-network nodes.