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International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems

Scalable Piezo-Optomechanical Transducer Matched to a Superconducting Qubit for Optical Readout

Kiki L. Schuurman, Thierry Christiaan van Thiel, Matthew J. Weaver, Federico Berto, Pim Duivestein, Mathilde Lemang, Martin Žemlička, Fred Hijazi, Alexandra C. Bernasconi, Cristobal Ferrer, Ella Lachman, Mark Field, Yuvraj Mohan, Fokko K. de Vries, Niels Bultink, Jules van Oven, J. Mutus, Robert Stockill, Simon Gröblacher

Published Jun 29, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We demonstrate a piezo-optomechanical transducer, which uses an intermediate mode to transduce signals from the microwave to the optical domain. The device is a hybrid platform, combining a superconducting microwave resonator with a piezoelectric interface and a optomechanical nanobeam. The microwave frequency of the transducer can be matched to a superconducting qubit. Subsequently, an optical single-shot readout of a qubit using a demolition readout technique is demonstrated with a fidelity of 81 %. With enhanced transducer performance and the addition of optical qubit control to the system, the system is capable of supporting all-optical readout and control of a large number of qubits in parallel.

DOI
10.1109/transducers61432.2025.11109690

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Abstract Hybrid quantum systems are essential for the realization of distributed quantum networks. In particular, piezo-mechanics operating at typical superconducting qubit frequencies features low thermal excitations, and offers an appealing platform to bridge superconducting quantum processors and optical telecommunication channels. However, integrating superconducting and optomechanical elements at cryogenic temperatures with sufficiently strong interactions remains a tremendous challenge. Here, we report an integrated superconducting cavity piezo-optomechanical platform where 10 GHz phonons are resonantly coupled with photons in a superconducting cavity and a nanophotonic cavity at the same time. Taking advantage of the large piezo-mechanical cooperativity (Cem ~7) and the enhanced optomechanical coupling boosted by a pulsed optical pump, we demonstrate coherent interactions at cryogenic temperatures via the observation of efficient microwave-optical photon conversion. This hybrid interface makes a substantial step towards quantum communication at large scale, as well as novel explorations in microwave-optical photon entanglement and quantum sensing mediated by gigahertz phonons.
Optical quantum networks provide a natural route for connecting distant superconducting quantum processors, enabling distributed quantum computation, sensing, and communication. Piezo-optomechanical transducers are among the leading candidates for scalable microwave-to-optical quantum interfaces. However, prior one-dimensional piezo-optomechanical transducers remain limited by optical-absorption-induced heating and the resulting thermal noise. Two-dimensional optomechanical crystals offer substantially improved thermalization from better thermal anchoring, but their structural complexity has so far hindered the realization of a fully integrated two-dimensional transducer. Here, we overcome this challenge with a new design strategy based on band structure engineering. We fabricate the devices and experimentally characterize the response, measuring an electromechanical damping rate of 4.6 kHz at room temperature and electromechanical coupling rate of 0.17 MHz by wire-bonding to a multi-mode microwave resonator at 10 mK. Bidirectional transduction is performed with a calibrated internal efficiency of 0.85\% in the continuous-wave operation, alongside pulsed photon-phonon pair generation near its quantum ground state. Our results represent a significant step toward high-efficiency and low-noise transducers for entangling remote superconducting qubits.