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IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering (QCE)

Partitioning Cryogenic Integrated Electronics for Scalable Spin Qubit Operation

Lotte Geck, Pau Dietz Romero, Lammert Duipmans, Stefan van Waasen

Published Aug 30, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A systematic investigation of currently implemented cryogenic electronics for controlling and reading out spin qubits using complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology is done. Scalability is the primary focus in developing these circuits, as enabling universal quantum computing requires increasing the number of qubits by several orders of magnitude. Low power dissipation is a main quality benchmark for cryogenic circuits that is being optimized. Next to that, the possibility of connecting multiple control signals to each qubit is a challenge for large qubit numbers. Depending on the placement of the electronics, different power budgets and connectivity options are available. These characteristics are used to discuss medium and long-term use-cases for existing designs and what future concepts and developments might be possible or necessary for full scalability on the example of spin qubit operation electronics.

DOI
10.1109/qce65121.2025.00121

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A systematic investigation of currently implemented cryogenic electronics for controlling and reading out spin qubits using complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology is done. Scalability is the primary focus in developing these circuits, as enabling universal quantum computing requires increasing the number of qubits by several orders of magnitude. Low power dissipation is a main quality benchmark for cryogenic circuits that is being optimized. Next to that, the possibility of connecting multiple control signals to each qubit is a challenge for large qubit numbers. Depending on the placement of the electronics, different power budgets and connectivity options are available. These characteristics are used to discuss medium and long-term use-cases for existing designs and what future concepts and developments might be possible or necessary for full scalability on the example of spin qubit operation electronics.
Future universal quantum computers solving problems of practical relevance are expected to require at least 10610^6106 qubits, which is a massive scale-up from the present numbers of less than 50 qubits operated together. Out of the different types of qubits, solid state qubits are considered to be viable candidates for this scale-up, but interfacing to and controlling such a large number of qubits is a complex challenge that has not been solved yet. One possibility to address this challenge is to use qubit control circuits located close to the qubits at cryogenic temperatures. In this work we evaluate the feasibility of this idea, taking as a reference the physical requirements of a two-electron spin qubit and the specifications of a standard 65 nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process. Using principles and flows from electrical systems engineering we provide realistic estimates of the footprint and of the power consumption of a complete control-circuit architecture. Our results show that with further research it is possible to provide scalable electrical control in the vicinity of the qubit, with our concept.
A systematic research on the development of cryogenic complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (cryo-CMOS) circuits, for implementing the required control electronics to manipulate the quantum bit (qubit) state, is performed over the last few years. Scalability constitutes a key term regarding the evolution of quantum computing from theory to practical application and CMOS technology has been proven to be a promising candidate for implementing the coveted scalable next-generation quantum computers (QCs). Mixed-signal blocks, used for uniting the analog and digital domains, play a key role in the efficient functionality of the qubit control/readout system, thus there is an ever-increasing interest in their high-performance circuit realization. The critical challenge in this venture is to achieve efficient cryogenic operation at low temperatures, i.e., close to the qubit around 4 K, simultaneously keeping power requirements at low values. An overview and comparison of the cryo-CMOS Digital-to-Analog converter (DAC) and Analog-to-Digital converter (ADC) circuit implementations for quantum computing applications that heretofore have been proposed in the literature is presented in this work. A discussion on the challenges and future strategic steps that are henceforth required to proceed toward the development of a functional scalable quantum computer is also conducted.
Quantum computing holds the promise to solve problems that are currently intractable by classical computing platforms. Such computing framework relies on the properties of quantum bits (qubits) that operates at cryogenic temperatures well below 1K. Besides a quantum processor, an operational quantum computer needs a classical electronic controller reading out the electrical signals generated by the qubits and the providing electrical control to perform the required operations on the qubits. Since today’s quantum processors comprise a low number of qubits (<10), most controlling electronics can operate at room temperature and be connected by bulky interconnects to the cryogenic qubit chamber. However, when scaling up to the thousands of qubits required in a practical quantum algorithm, the classical electronics must be placed at cryogenic temperature to simplify the interconnects and allow a compact, reliable and scalable system. In this work, we propose the fully-integrated implementation in standard CMOS technology of the electronic read-out for spin qubits. Simulations show that the proposed current read-out circuit can achieve a 10MHz bandwidth that is 10X wider than current state-of-the-art read-outs while keeping comparable noise performance and operating at 4.2K. Such results are a promising indication that cryogenic CMOS circuits can provide the building blocks for the integration of the classical electronic controller for future scalable quantum computers.
Abstract Future universal quantum computers solving problems of practical relevance are expected to require at least 106 qubits, which is a massive scale-up from the present numbers of less than 50 qubits operated together. Out of the different types of qubits, solid state qubits are considered to be viable candidates for this scale-up, but interfacing to and controlling such a large number of qubits is a complex challenge that has not been solved yet. One possibility to address this challenge is to use qubit control circuits located close to the qubits at cryogenic temperatures. In this work we evaluate the feasibility of this idea, taking as a reference the physical requirements of a two-electron spin qubit and the specifications of a standard 65 nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor process. Using principles and flows from electrical systems engineering we provide realistic estimates of the footprint and of the power consumption of a complete control-circuit architecture. Our results show that with further research it is possible to provide scalable electrical control in the vicinity of the qubit, with our concept.
The feasibility of using commercial CMOS processes for implementing scalable cryogenic control electronics for universal quantum computers is investigated. Using a systems engineering approach, we break the system down into sub-systems and model the individual components down to transistor level. First results for area demand and power consumption indicate that even with a standard CMOS process, it should be possible to operate hundreds of qubits. Using dedicated low power processes with reduced supply voltage, this number could be further increased in the long term by four or more orders of magnitude, allowing the control of millions of qubits.
Abstract The most promising quantum algorithms require quantum processors that host millions of quantum bits when targeting practical applications1. A key challenge towards large-scale quantum computation is the interconnect complexity. In current solid-state qubit implementations, an important interconnect bottleneck appears between the quantum chip in a dilution refrigerator and the room-temperature electronics. Advanced lithography supports the fabrication of both control electronics and qubits in silicon using technology compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS)2. When the electronics are designed to operate at cryogenic temperatures, they can ultimately be integrated with the qubits on the same die or package, overcoming the ‘wiring bottleneck’3–6. Here we report a cryogenic CMOS control chip operating at 3 kelvin, which outputs tailored microwave bursts to drive silicon quantum bits cooled to 20 millikelvin. We first benchmark the control chip and find an electrical performance consistent with qubit operations of 99.99 per cent fidelity, assuming ideal qubits. Next, we use it to coherently control actual qubits encoded in the spin of single electrons confined in silicon quantum dots7–9 and find that the cryogenic control chip achieves the same fidelity as commercial instruments at room temperature. Furthermore, we demonstrate the capabilities of the control chip by programming a number of benchmarking protocols, as well as the Deutsch–Josza algorithm10, on a two-qubit quantum processor. These results open up the way towards a fully integrated, scalable silicon-based quantum computer.