The strong spin-orbit coupling in hole spin qubits enables fast and electrically tunable gates, but at the same time enhances the susceptibility of the qubit to charge noise. Suppressing this noise is a significant challenge in semiconductor quantum computing. Here, we show theoretically that hole Si FinFETs are not only very compatible with modern CMOS technology, but they present operational sweet spots where the charge noise is completely removed. The presence of these sweet spots is a result of the interplay between the anisotropy of the material and the triangular shape of the FinFET cross-section, and it does not require an extreme fine-tuning of the electrostatics of the device. We present how the sweet spots appear in FinFETs grown along different crystallographic axes and we study in detail how the behaviour of these devices change when the cross-section area and aspect ratio are varied. We identify designs that maximize the qubit performance and could pave the way towards a scalable spin-based quantum computer.
The exchange interaction in a singlet-triplet qubit defined by two-electron states in the double-quantum-dot system ("two-electron singlet-triplet qubit") typically varies monotonically with the exchange interaction and thus carries no sweet spot. Here we study a singlet-triplet qubit defined by four-electron states in the double-quantum-dot system ("four-electron singlet-triplet qubit"). We demonstrate, using configuration-interaction calculations, that in the four-electron singlet-triplet qubit the exchange energy as a function of detuning can be non-monotonic, suggesting existence of sweet …
Optimal working points or "sweet spots" have arisen as an important tool for mitigating charge noise in quantum dot logical spin qubits. The exchange-only qubit provides an ideal system for studying this effect because $Z$ rotations are performed directly at the sweet spot, while $X$ rotations are not. Here for the first time we quantify the ability of the sweet spot to mitigate charge noise by treating $X$ and $Z$ rotations on an equal footing. Specifically, we optimize $X$ rotations and determine an upper bound on their fidelity. We find that sweet spots offer a fidelity improvement factor o…
A triple-quantum-dot system can be operated as either an exchange-only qubit or a resonant-exchange qubit. While it is generally believed that the decisive advantage of the resonant-exchange qubit is the suppression of charge noise because it is operated at a sweet spot, we show that the leakage is also an important factor. Through molecular-orbital-theoretic calculations, we show that when the system is operated in the exchange-only scheme, the leakage to states with double electron occupancy in quantum dots is severe when rotations around the axis 120$^\circ$ from $\hat{z}$ is performed. Whi…
A fundamental design challenge for quantum dot spin qubits is to extend the strength and range of qubit interactions while suppressing their coupling to the environment, since both effects have electrical origins. Key tools include the ability to retune the qubits, to take advantage of physical resources in different operating regimes, and to access optimal working points, or "sweet spots," where dephasing is minimized. Here, we explore an important, new resource for singlet-triplet qubits: a transverse sweet spot (TSS) that enables (i) direct transitions between qubit states, (ii) a strong, c…
The implementation of high fidelity two-qubit gates is a bottleneck in the progress towards universal quantum computation in semiconductor quantum dot qubits. We study capacitive coupling between two triple quantum dot spin qubits encoded in the $S = 1/2$, $S_z = -1/2$ decoherence-free subspace -- the exchange-only (EO) spin qubits. We report exact gate sequences for CPHASE and CNOT gates, and demonstrate theoretically, the existence of multiple two-qubit sweet spots (2QSS) in the parameter space of capacitively coupled EO qubits. Gate operations have the advantage of being all-electrical, but…
Readout sweet spots for spin qubits with strong spin-orbit interaction
Budapest University of Technology and Economics（布达佩斯技术与经济大学）；IBM Research Europe – Zurich（IBM 欧洲苏黎世研究中心）；ELTE Eötvös Loránd University（厄特沃什·罗兰大学）；Moth Quantum AG（蛾量子股份公司）；University of Basel（巴塞尔大学）；Delft University of Technology（代尔夫特理工大学）
The search of a sweet spot, locus in qubit parameters where quantum control is first-order insensitive to noises, is key to achieve high-fidelity quantum gates. Efforts to search for such a sweet spot in conventional double-quantum-dot singlet-triplet qubits where each dot hosts one electron ("two-electron singlet-triplet qubit"), especially for two-qubit operations, have been unsuccessful. Here we consider singlet-triplet qubits allowing each dot to host more than one electron, with a total of four electrons in the double quantum dots ("four-electron singlet-triplet qubit"). We theoretically …
Design and Optimization of Spin Dynamics in Ge Quantum Dots: g-Factor Modulation, Geometry-Induced Dephasing Sweet Spots, and Phonon-Induced Relaxation
A pair of coupled dots with one electron in each dot can provide improvements in spin coherence, particularly at an electrical bias called the sweet spot, but few measurements have been performed on self-assembled dots in this regime. Here, we directly measure the $T_2^*$ coherence time of the singlet-triplet states in this system as a function of bias and magnetic field, obtaining a maximum $T_2^*$ of 60 ns, more than an order of magnitude higher than an electron spin in a single quantum dot. Our results uncover two main dephasing mechanisms: electrical noise away from the sweet spot, and a m…
We investigate the influence of electrical charge noise on a resonant exchange (RX) qubit in a triple quantum dot. This RX qubit is a variation of the exchange-only spin qubit which responds to a narrow-band resonant frequency. Our noise model includes uncorrelated charge noise in each quantum dot giving rise to two independent (noisy) bias parameters $\varepsilon$ and $Δ$. We calculate the energy splitting of the two qubit states as a function of these two bias detuning parameters to find "sweet spots", where the qubit is least susceptible to noise. Our investigation shows that such sweet spo…
We theoretically study the influence of charge noise on a controlled phase gate, implemented using two proximal double quantum dots coupled electrostatically. Using the configuration interaction method, we present a full description of the conditional control scheme and quantitatively calculate the gate error arising from charge fluctuations. Our key finding is that the existence of noise-immune sweet spots depends on not only the energy detuning but also the device geometry. The conditions for sweet spots with minimal charge noise are predicted analytically and verified numerically. Going bey…
Quantum dot hybrid qubits exploit an extended charge-noise sweet spot that suppresses dephasing and has enabled the experimental achievement of high-fidelity single-qubit gates. However, current proposals for two-qubit gates require tuning the qubits away from their sweet spots. Here, we propose a two-hybrid-qubit coupling scheme, based on exchange interactions, that allows the qubits to remain at their sweet spots at all times. The interaction is controlled via the inter-qubit tunnel coupling. By simulating such gates in the presence of realistic quasistatic and $1\!/\!f$ charge noise, we sho…
Charge noise is the main hurdle preventing high-fidelity operation, in particular that of two-qubit gates, of semiconductor-quantum-dot-based spin qubits. While certain sweet spots where charge noise is substantially suppressed have been demonstrated in several types of spin qubits, the existence of one for coupled singlet-triplet qubits is unclear. We theoretically demonstrate, using full configuration-interaction calculations, that a range of nearly sweet spots appear in the coupled singlet-triplet qubit system when a strong enough magnetic field is applied externally. We further demonstrate…
We introduce an always-on, exchange-only qubit made up of three localized semiconductor spins that offers a true "sweet spot" to fluctuations of the quantum dot energy levels. Both single- and two-qubit gate operations can be performed using only exchange pulses while maintaining this sweet spot. We show how to interconvert this qubit to other three-spin encoded qubits as a new resource for quantum computation and communication.
We propose and analyze a novel "flopping-mode" mechanism for electric dipole spin resonance based on the delocalization of a single electron across a double quantum dot confinement potential. Delocalization of the charge maximizes the electronic dipole moment compared to the conventional single dot spin resonance configuration. We present a theoretical investigation of the flopping-mode spin qubit properties through the crossover from the double to the single dot configuration by calculating effective spin Rabi frequencies and single-qubit gate fidelities. The flopping-mode regime optimizes th…
The ability to tune qubits to flat points in their energy dispersions ("sweet spots") is an important tool for mitigating the effects of charge noise and dephasing in solid-state devices. However, the number of derivatives that must be simultaneously set to zero grows exponentially with the number of coupled qubits, making the task untenable for as few as two qubits. This is a particular problem for adiabatic gates, due to their slower speeds. Here, we propose an adiabatic two-qubit gate for quantum dot hybrid qubits, based on the tunable, electrostatic coupling between distinct charge configu…
The energy landscape of a single electron in a triple quantum dot can be tuned such that the energy separation between ground and excited states becomes a flat function of the relevant gate voltages. These so-called sweet spots are beneficial for charge coherence, since the decoherence effects caused by small fluctuations of gate voltages or surrounding charge fluctuators are minimized. We propose a new operation point for a triple quantum dot charge qubit, a so-called $CQ_3$-qubit, having a third order sweet spot. We show strong coupling of the qubit to single photons in a frequency tunable h…
A most intuitive realization of a qubit is a single electron charge sitting at two well-defined positions, such as the left and right sides of a double quantum dot. This qubit is not just simple but also has the potential for high-speed operation, because of the strong coupling of electric fields to the electron. However, charge noise also couples strongly to this qubit, resulting in rapid dephasing at nearly all operating points, with the exception of one special 'sweet spot'. Fast dc voltage pulses have been used to manipulate semiconductor charge qubits, but these previous experiments did n…
We propose and theoretically investigate an alternative way to create the poor man's Majorana bound states (MBSs) introduced in Phys. Rev. B 86, 134528 (2012). Our proposal is based on two quantum dots (QDs) with strong electron-electron interactions that couple via a central QD with proximity-induced superconductivity. In the presence of spin-orbit coupling and a magnetic field, gate control of all three QDs allows tuning the system into sweet spots with one MBS localized on each outer dot. We quantify the quality of these MBSs and show how it depends on the Zeeman energy and interaction stre…
We investigate theoretically charge-noise induced spin dephasing of a hole confined in a quasi-two-dimensional silicon quantum dot. Central to our treatment is accounting for higher-order corrections to the Luttinger Hamiltonian. Using experimentally reported parameters, we find that the new terms give rise to sweet-spots for the hole-spin dephasing, which are sensitive to device details: dot size and asymmetry, growth direction, and applied magnetic and electric fields. Furthermore, we estimate that the dephasing time at the sweet-spots is boosted by several orders of magnitude, up to order o…
Robust Spin Qubit Coupler via Minimal Kitaev Chain
Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences（北京量子信息科学研究院）；Beijing Key Laboratory of Quantum Devices and School of Electronics, Peking University（北京大学电子学院）
Exchange-only spin qubits hosted in $^{28}$Si-based triple quantum dots do not suffer from decoherence caused by randomly fluctuating nuclear-spin ensembles and can be relatively robust against electrical noise when operated at a sweet spot. Remaining sources of decoherence are qubit relaxation, leakage out of the qubit subspace, and dephasing due to residual effects of charge noise, the latter two of which are the focus of this work. We investigate spin-orbit-mediated leakage rates to the three-spin ground state accompanied by virtual (i) tunneling, (ii) orbital excitation, and (iii) valley e…
Hole spin qubits in quasi one-dimensional structures are a promising platform for quantum information processing because of the strong spin-orbit interaction (SOI). We present analytical results and discuss device designs that optimize the SOI in Ge semiconductors. We show that at the magnetic field values at which qubits are operated, orbital effects of magnetic fields can strongly affect the response of the spin qubit. We study one-dimensional hole systems in Ge under the influence of electric and magnetic fields applied perpendicularly to the device. In our theoretical description, we inclu…
We report anomalous behavior in the energy dispersion of a three-electron double-quantum-dot hybrid qubit and argue that it is caused by atomic-scale disorder at the quantum-well interface. By employing tight-binding simulations, we identify potential disorder profiles that induce behavior consistent with the experiments. The results indicate that disorder can give rise to "sweet spots" where the decoherence caused by charge noise is suppressed, even in a parameter regime where true sweet spots are unexpected. Conversely, "hot spots" where the decoherence is enhanced can also occur. Our result…
We investigate the field and spin-momentum coupling of edge plasmons hosted by general two-dimensional materials and identify sweet spots depending on the polarisation plane, ellipticity and the position of an electric dipole relative to the plane and edge. Exciting the dipole at these sweet spots by propagating light leads to uni-directional propagating edge plasmons or edge modes are totally suppressed. We also extent previous approximate treatments [A. Fetter Phys. Rev. B 32, 7676 (1985)] to include anisotropy and hyperbolic systems, elucidating its predictions for the existence of edge mod…
We study the decoherence effect of charge noise on a single flip-flop qubit and two dipole-coupled qubits. We find that a single flip-flop qubit is highly resistant to charge noise at its sweet spots. However, due to the proximity of the charge excited states to the flip-flop logical states, the presence of charge noise greatly reduces the fidelity of two-qubit operations. We identify leakage from the qubit Hilbert space as the main culprit for the reduced gate fidelity. We also explore different bias conditions to mitigate this decoherence channel.
Machine-learned tuning of artificial Kitaev chains from tunneling-spectroscopy measurements
Norwegian University of Science and Technology（挪威科技大学）；Lund University（隆德大学）；Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ICMM-CSIC)（马德里材料科学研究所，西班牙国家研究委员会）；Leiden University（莱顿大学）
We operate a resonant exchange qubit in a highly symmetric triple-dot configuration using IQ-modulated RF pulses. At the resulting three-dimensional sweet spot the qubit splitting is an order of magnitude less sensitive to all relevant control voltages, compared to the conventional operating point, but we observe no significant improvement in the quality of Rabi oscillations. For weak driving this is consistent with Overhauser field fluctuations modulating the qubit splitting. For strong driving we infer that effective voltage noise modulates the coupling strength between RF drive and the qubi…
The implementation of large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computers calls for the integration of millions of physical qubits, with error rates of physical qubits significantly below 1%. This outstanding engineering challenge may benefit from emerging qubits that are protected from dominating noise sources in the qubits' environment. In addition to different noise reduction techniques, protective approaches typically encode qubits in global or local decoherence-free subspaces, or in dynamical sweet spots of driven systems. We exemplify such protective qubits by reviewing the state-of-art in prot…
We propose entangling operations based on the energy curvature couplings of encoded spin qubits to a superconducting cavity, exploring the non-linear qubit response to a gate voltage variation. For a two-qubit ($n$-qubit) entangling gate we explore acquired geometric phases via a time-modulated longitudinal $σ_z$-coupling, offering gate times of 10s of ns even when the qubits and the cavity are far detuned. No dipole moment is necessary: the qubit transverse $σ_x$-coupling to the resonator is zero at the full sweet spot of the encoded spin qubit of interest (a triple quantum dot three-electron…
Singlet-triplet spin qubits in six-electron double quantum dots, in moderate magnetic fields, can show superior immunity to charge noise. This immunity results from the symmetry of orbitals in the second energy shell of circular quantum dots: singlet and triplet states in this shell have identical charge distributions. Our phase-gate simulations, which include $1/f$ charge noise from fluctuating traps, show that this symmetry is most effectively exploited if the gate operation switches rapidly between sweet spots deep in the (3,3) and (4,2) charge stability regions; fidelities very close to on…
We propose a quadrupolar exchange-only spin (QUEX) qubit that is highly robust against charge noise and nuclear spin dephasing, the dominant decoherence mechanisms in quantum dots. The qubit consists of four electrons trapped in three quantum dots, and operates in a decoherence-free subspace to mitigate dephasing due to nuclear spins. To reduce sensitivity to charge noise, the qubit can be completely operated at an extended charge noise sweet spot that is first-order insensitive to electrical fluctuations. Due to on-site exchange mediated by the Coulomb interaction, the qubit energy splitting …
Cross-Platform Autonomous Control of Minimal Kitaev Chains
QuTech and Kavli Institute of NanoScience, Delft University of Technology（代尔夫特理工大学 QuTech 和卡弗里纳米科学研究所）；Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University（阿尔托大学应用物理系）
We investigate coupling an encoded spin qubit to a microwave resonator via qubit energy level curvature versus gate voltage. This approach enables quantum non-demolition readout with strength of tens to hundred MHz all while the qubit stays at its full sweet-spot to charge noise, with zero dipole moment. A "dispersive-like" spin readout approach similar to circuit-QED but avoiding the Purcell effect is proposed. With the addition of gate voltage modulation, selective longitudinal readout and n-qubit entanglement-by-measurement are possible.
