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Quantum Computing, Communication, and Simulation

Integrated digital system solution for superconducting quantum computing based on mK-generated single flux quantum pulse patterns for multi-qubit control

Thomas Ortlepp, Anna Reinhardt, Taghrid Haddad, Nobuyuki Yoshikawa

Published Mar 5, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Quantum technologies are today regarded as one of the key technologies with huge implications to technological, economic and social developments in the next decades. Among the different platforms, superconducting implementations represent one of the most promising and are therefore pursued by several research institutions but also by numerous high-tech companies. Current research focusses e.g. on scaling towards a large number of qubits needed for practical implementations of this technology. Amongst the various realizations, adiabatic quantum flux parametron (AQFP) circuits have shown lowest power dissipation reaching Landauer limit. The operation of AQFP circuits down to mK temperature has been recently demonstrated. We will present a new concept for a digital control circuit based on the microwave pulse patters generated by single flux quantum circuits operating at mK temperatures. We discuss the circuit operation and the integration together with superconducting qubits to a compact and scalable approach for multi-Qubit control by digital pulse patterns.

DOI
10.1117/12.3084959

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Quantum technologies are today regarded as one of the key technologies with huge implications to technological, economic and social developments in the next decades. Among the different platforms, superconducting implementations represent one of the most promising and are therefore pursued by several research institutions but also by numerous high-tech companies. Current research focusses e.g. on scaling towards a large number of qubits needed for practical implementations of this technology. Amongst the various realizations, adiabatic quantum flux parametron (AQFP) circuits have shown lowest power dissipation reaching Landauer limit. The operation of AQFP circuits down to mK temperature has been recently demonstrated. We will present a new concept for a digital control circuit based on the microwave pulse patters generated by single flux quantum circuits operating at mK temperatures. We discuss the circuit operation and the integration together with superconducting qubits to a compact and scalable approach for multi-Qubit control by digital pulse patterns.
Abstract Cryogenic qubit controllers (QCs) are the key to build large-scale superconducting quantum processors. However, developing scalable QCs is challenging because the cooling power of a dilution refrigerator is too small (~10 μW at ~10 mK) to operate conventional logic families, such as complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor logic and superconducting single-flux-quantum logic, near qubits. Here we report on a scalable QC using an ultra-low-power superconductor logic family, namely adiabatic quantum-flux-parametron (AQFP) logic. The AQFP-based QC, referred to as the AQFP-multiplexed QC (AQFP-mux QC), produces multi-tone microwave signals for qubit control with an extremely small power dissipation of 81.8 pW per qubit. Furthermore, the AQFP-mux QC adopts microwave multiplexing to reduce the number of coaxial cables for operating the entire system. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate an AQFP-mux QC chip that produces microwave signals at two output ports through microwave multiplexing and demultiplexing. Experimental results show an output power of approximately −80 dBm and on/off ratio of ~40 dB at each output port. Basic mixing operation is also demonstrated by observing sideband signals.
Readout and control of qubits are limiting factors in scaling quantum computers. An ideal solution is to integrate energy-efficient cryogenic circuits close to the qubits to perform control and pre-processing tasks. With orders of magnitude lower power consumption and hence lower noise, Single Flux Quantum (SFQ) and Adiabatic Quantum Flux Parametron (AQFP) superconductor logic families can reach ultimate performance at cryogenic temperatures. We have created a superconductor-based on-chip function generator to control qubits. The generated signal is modulated up to tens of GHz based on the external input waveform applied to the superconductor mixer stage. This circuit works at 4.2K. A radiofrequency (RF) matching circuit transmits the signal to the ~mK stage after digital amplification and noise reduction.
An approach for scalable quantum computing infrastructure based on the use of low-power digital superconducting single flux quantum (SFQ) circuits is described. Rather than replicating the room-temperature microwave control and measurement infrastructure solutions dominating the current systems, we use the inherent to superconducting technology methods - the use of SFQ pulses directly at the base temperature. For qubit control, we irradiate qubits with the coherent SFQ pulse sequences computed using optical control theory. For qubit measurement, Josephson photon counter performs projective quantum measurement, the result of which is converted to digital SFQ output. These operations are aided by a high-speed digital SFQ coprocessor located at higher temperature stage (e.g., 3 K) to process the measurement results and load new control sequences to 20 mK SFQ quantum-classical interface circuits.
The recent rapid increase in the scale of superconducting quantum computing systems greatly increases the demand for qubit control by digital circuits operating at qubit temperatures. In this paper, superconducting digital circuits, such as single-flux quantum and adiabatic quantum flux parametron circuits are described, that are promising candidates for this purpose. After estimating their energy consumption and speed, a conceptual overview of the superconducting electronics for controlling a multiple-qubit system is provided, as well as some of its component circuits.
Qubit controllers are essential for scaling superconducting quantum processors, but implementing them at the 10 mK stage of a dilution refrigerator remains challenging due to stringent cooling constraints. Here we report an ultralow-power qubit controller using adiabatic quantum-flux-parametron (AQFP) logic, termed an AQFP-multiplexed qubit controller with virtual Z gates (AQFP QC-VZ). The AQFP QC-VZ generates multi-tone microwave pulses for qubit control with an ultralow power dissipation of 111 pW per qubit. By combining microwave and time-division multiplexing, the AQFP QC-VZ enables parallel application of X and virtual Z gates to multiple qubits using only a few control lines from room temperature. We demonstrate coherent single-qubit gates at the 10 mK stage using an AQFP mixer, a core component of the AQFP QC-VZ, without observable degradation in coherence.
We are developing a microwave pulse generator, whose pulse width and amplitude can be arbitrarily controlled, to manipulate superconducting quantum computing systems. The proposed microwave pulse generator is made using superconducting circuits. It can be placed at a 4.2 K or lower temperature stages to control a large-scale quantum computing system effectively. One of the key components of the microwave pulse generator is the timing controller, which generates trigger pulses for the microwave switch to start and stop the microwave irradiation. The target frequency of the microwave is 5 GHz, and the timing controller has to generate trigger pulses with a time resolution of several nanoseconds. We designed a 4-bit timing controller using an adiabatic quantum flux parametron (AQFP) circuit, which is extremely energy-efficient superconducting logic. The designed timing controller derives two trigger pulses, start and stop, to the microwave switch at the timing designated by digital data. We implemented the AQFP timing controller using the AIST HSTP process and demonstrated its operation at 1 GHz. Its power dissipation was estimated as about 1.25×10-9 W at 1 GHz.