Spins in SiGe quantum dots are promising candidates for quantum bits but are also challenging due to the valley degeneracy which could potentially cause spin decoherence and weak spin-orbital coupling. In this work we demonstrate that valley states can serve as an asset that enables two-axis control of a singlet-triplet qubit formed in a double quantum dot without the application of a magnetic field gradient. We measure the valley spectrum in each dot using magnetic field spectroscopy of Zeeman split triplet states. The interdot transition between ground states requires an electron to flip between valleys, which in turn provides a g-factor difference $Δg$ between two dots. This $Δg$ serves as an effective magnetic field gradient and allows for qubit rotations with a rate that increases linearly with an external magnetic field. We measured several interdot transitions and found that this valley introduced $Δg$ is universal and electrically tunable. This could potentially simplify scaling up quantum information processing in the SiGe platform by removing the requirement for magnetic field gradients which are difficult to engineer.
The presence of non-degenerate valley states in silicon can drastically affect electron dynamics in silicon-based heterostructures, leading to electron spin relaxation and spin-valley coupling. In the context of solid-state spin qubits, it is important to understand the interplay between spin and valley degrees of freedom to avoid or alleviate these decoherence mechanisms. Here we report the observation of relaxation from the excited valley state to the ground state in a Si/SiGe quantum dot, at zero magnetic field. Valley state read-out is aided by a valley-dependent tunneling effect, which we…
Silicon quantum dot qubits must contend with low-lying valley excited states which are sensitive functions of the quantum well heterostructure and disorder; quantifying and maximizing the energies of these states are critical to improving device performance. We describe a spectroscopic method for probing excited states in isolated Si/SiGe double quantum dots using standard baseband pulsing techniques, easing the extraction of energy spectra in multiple-dot devices. We use this method to measure dozens of valley excited state energies spanning multiple wafers, quantum dots, and orbital states, …
Spectroscopy of low-lying valley states in hot Si/SiGe quantum dots
University of California, Los Angeles（加州大学洛杉矶分校）；Center for Quantum Science and Engineering（量子科学与工程中心）；Department of Physics and Astronomy（物理与天文系）；Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering（电气与计算机工程系）
Silicon-germanium heterostructures have successfully hosted quantum dot qubits, but the intrinsic near-degeneracy of the two lowest valley states poses an obstacle to high fidelity quantum computing. We present a modification to the Si/SiGe heterostructure by the inclusion of a spike in germanium concentration within the quantum well in order to increase the valley splitting. The heterostructure is grown by chemical vapor deposition and magnetospectroscopy is performed on gate-defined quantum dots to measure the excited state spectrum. We demonstrate a large and widely tunable valley splitting…
The valley degree of freedom presents challenges and opportunities for silicon spin qubits. An important consideration for singlet-triplet states is the presence of two distinct triplets, comprised of valley vs. orbital excitations. Here we show that both of these triplets are present in the typical operating regime, but that only the valley-excited triplet offers intrinsic protection against charge noise. We further show that this protection arises naturally in dots with stronger confinement. These results reveal an inherent advantage for silicon-based multi-electron qubits.
Valley physics in the two bands $\mathbf{k}\cdot\mathbf{p}$ model for SiGe heterostructures and spin qubits
Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, Leti（格勒诺布尔大学，CEA，LETI）；Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Regensburg（雷根斯堡大学理论物理研究所）；Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, IRIG-MEM-L_Sim（格勒诺布尔大学，CEA，IRIG-MEM-L_Sim）
We observe minima of the longitudinal resistance corresponding to the quantum Hall effect of composite fermions at quantum numbers $p=1$, 2, 3, 4, and 6 in an ultraclean strongly interacting bivalley SiGe/Si/SiGe two-dimensional electron system. The minima at $p=3$ disappear below a certain electron density, although the surrounding minima at $p=2$ and $p=4$ survive at significantly lower densities. Furthermore, the onset for the resistance minimum at a filling factor $ν=3/5$ is found to be independent of the tilt angle of the magnetic field. These surprising results indicate the intersection …
Valley splitting in Si quantum dots embedded in SiGe
我们研究嵌入到Si_{0.75} Ge_{0.25}缓冲器中的Si量子点的能谱，使用原子数值计算与量子位实现相关的尺寸。最低轨道态的谷简并度被提升，谷分裂随单层频率的变化而变化。对于点厚度<6 nm valley splitting is found to be >150 μ eV。利用原子计算的独特优势，我们分析了缓冲区无序对谷分裂的影响。缓冲区中的无序导致谷分裂被抑制2.5倍，对于不同的无序实现，分裂波动约20 ueV。通过这些模拟，我们可以指导未来的实验进入低设备到设备波动的区域。
Conventional quantum transport methods can provide quantitative information on spin, orbital, and valley states in quantum dots, but often lack spatial resolution. Scanning tunneling microscopy, on the other hand, provides exquisite spatial resolution of the local electronic density of states, but often at the expense of speed. Working to combine the spatial resolution and energy sensitivity of scanning probe microscopy with the speed of microwave measurements, we couple a metallic probe tip to a Si/SiGe double quantum dot that is integrated with a local charge detector. We first demonstrate t…
Enhanced intrinsic spin-orbit driving of a Loss-DiVincenzo qubit near the spin-valley hotspot in Si/SiGe
RWTH Aachen University（亚琛工业大学）；Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH（于利希研究中心有限公司）；Helmholtz Nano Facility (HNF)（亥姆霍兹纳米设施）；IHP - Leibniz Institute for High Performance Microelectronics（高性能微电子莱布尼茨研究所）；ARQUE Systems GmbH（ARQUE系统有限公司）
Increasing valley splitting in Si/SiGe by practically achievable heterostructure profiles
Fakultät für Physik, Universität Regensburg（雷根斯堡大学物理学院）；ResQ Resonant Quantum Systems FlexCo（ResQ共振量子系统FlexCo公司）；RIKEN, Center for Quantum Computing (RQC)（理化学研究所量子计算中心）；Institute of Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences（斯洛伐克科学院物理研究所）；Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, IRIG-MEM-L Sim（格勒诺布尔阿尔卑斯大学法国原子能和替代能源委员会研究信息部模拟实验室）；Physics Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals（法赫德国王石油矿产大学物理系）；Center for Advanced Quantum Computing, KFUPM（法赫德国王石油矿产大学先进量子计算中心）；Department of Physics, University of Basel（巴塞尔大学物理系）
Valley splitting of Si/SiGe heterostructures in tilted magnetic fields
本文研究了高质量Si/Si $_{1-x}$ Ge $_x$异质结构中二维电子在倾斜磁场作用下的谷分裂。对于我们研究中的所有样品，填充因子$ν=3$（$Δ_3$）处的谷分裂在符合角之前和之后显著不同，在符合角处能级在费米能级处交叉。在重合的两侧，观察到$Δ_3$对电子密度的线性密度依赖性，而这两种配置的斜率相差超过两倍。我们认为，屏蔽的库仑相互作用从低洼的填充水平，这也解释了所观察到的自旋相关的电阻率，是负责的大差异$Δ_3$之前和之后的重合。
Optimization of Si/SiGe Heterostructures for Large and Robust Valley Splitting in Silicon Qubits
Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS)（魏茨塞克应用分析与随机过程研究所）；RWTH Aachen University（亚琛工业大学）；Forschungszentrum Jülich（于利希研究中心）；Institute of Quantum Information（量子信息研究所）；ARQUE Systems GmbH（ARQUE系统有限公司）
Electron spins in Si/SiGe quantum wells suffer from nearly degenerate conduction band valleys, which compete with the spin degree of freedom in the formation of qubits. Despite attempts to enhance the valley energy splitting deterministically, by engineering a sharp interface, valley splitting fluctuations remain a serious problem for qubit uniformity, needed to scale up to large quantum processors. Here, we elucidate and statistically predict the valley splitting by the holistic integration of 3D atomic-level properties, theory and transport. We find that the concentration fluctuations of Si …
Using a spin-triplet encoding to enhance shuttling fidelities in Si/SiGe quantum wells
University of Wisconsin-Madison（威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校）；National Institute of Standards and Technology（美国国家标准与技术研究院）；Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science, University of Maryland（马里兰大学量子信息与计算科学联合中心）；School of Physics, University of New South Wales（新南威尔士大学物理学院）
Interactions between electrons can strongly affect the shape and functionality of multi-electron quantum dots. The resulting charge distributions can be localized, as in the case of Wigner molecules, with consequences for the energy spectrum and tunneling to states outside the dot. The situation is even more complicated for silicon dots, due to the interplay between valley, orbital, and interaction energy scales. Here, we study two-electron wavefunctions in electrostatically confined quantum dots formed in a SiGe/Si/SiGe quantum well at zero magnetic field, using a combination of tight-binding…
We show that Ge concentration oscillations within the quantum well region of a Si/SiGe heterostructure can significantly enhance the spin-orbit coupling of the low-energy conduction-band valleys. Specifically, we find that for Ge oscillation wavelengths near $λ= 1.57~\text{nm}$ with an average Ge concentration of $\bar{n}_{\text{Ge}} = 5\%$ in the quantum well region, a Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling is induced, at all physically relevant electric field strengths, which is over an order of magnitude larger than what is found in conventional Si/SiGe heterostructures without Ge concentration os…
The effects of alloy disorder on strongly-driven flopping mode qubits in Si/SiGe
University of Wisconsin-Madison（威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校）；Laboratory for Physical Sciences（物理科学实验室）；Department of Physics, University of Maryland（马里兰大学物理系）；School of Physics, University of New South Wales（新南威尔士大学物理学院）
Enhancing valley splitting in SiGe heterostructures is a crucial task for developing silicon spin qubits. Complex SiGe heterostructures, sharing a common feature of four-monolayer (4ML) Ge layer next to the silicon quantum well (QW), have been computationally designed to have giant valley splitting approaching 9 meV. However, none of them has been fabricated may due to their complexity. Here, we remarkably simplify the original designed complex SiGe heterostructures by laying out the Si QW directly on the Ge substrate followed by capping a (Ge4Si4)n superlattice(SL) barrier with a small sacrif…
