arXiv subjects

A. Morello

Publications and source records attributed to A. Morello.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

A Dressed Spin Qubit in Silicon

Coherent dressing of a quantum two-level system provides access to a new quantum system with improved properties - a different and easily tuneable level splitting, faster control, and longer coherence times. In our work we investigate the properties of the dressed, donor-bound electron spin in silicon, and probe its potential for the use as quantum bit in scalable architectures. The two dressed spin-polariton levels constitute a quantum bit that can be coherently driven with an oscillating magnetic field, an oscillating electric field, by frequency modulating the driving field, or by a simple detuning pulse. We measure coherence times of $T_{2ρ}^*=2.4$ ms and $T_{2ρ}^{\rm Hahn}=9$ ms, one order of magnitude longer than those of the undressed qubit. Furthermore, the use of the dressed states enables coherent coupling of the solid-state spins to electric fields and mechanical oscillations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Spin-orbit coupling and operation of multi-valley spin qubits

Spin qubits composed of either one or three electrons are realized in a quantum dot formed at a Si/SiO_2-interface in isotopically enriched silicon. Using pulsed electron spin resonance, we perform coherent control of both types of qubits, addressing them via an electric field dependent g-factor. We perform randomized benchmarking and find that both qubits can be operated with high fidelity. Surprisingly, we find that the g-factors of the one-electron and three-electron qubits have an approximately linear but opposite dependence as a function of the applied dc electric field. We develop a theory to explain this g-factor behavior based on the spin-valley coupling that results from the sharp interface. The outer "shell" electron in the three-electron qubit exists in the higher of the two available conduction-band valley states, in contrast with the one-electron case, where the electron is in the lower valley. We formulate a modified effective mass theory and propose that inter-valley spin-flip tunneling dominates over intra-valley spin-flips in this system, leading to a direct correlation between the spin-orbit coupling parameters and the g-factors in the two valleys. In addition to offering all-electrical tuning for single-qubit gates, the g-factor physics revealed here for one-electron and three-electron qubits offers potential opportunities for new qubit control approaches.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

A Two Qubit Logic Gate in Silicon

Quantum computation requires qubits that can be coupled and realized in a scalable manner, together with universal and high-fidelity one- and two-qubit logic gates \cite{DiVincenzo2000, Loss1998}. Strong effort across several fields have led to an impressive array of qubit realizations, including trapped ions \cite{Brown2011}, superconducting circuits \cite{Barends2014}, single photons\cite{Kok2007}, single defects or atoms in diamond \cite{Waldherr2014, Dolde2014} and silicon \cite{Muhonen2014}, and semiconductor quantum dots \cite{Veldhorst2014}, all with single qubit fidelities exceeding the stringent thresholds required for fault-tolerant quantum computing \cite{Fowler2012}. Despite this, high-fidelity two-qubit gates in the solid-state that can be manufactured using standard lithographic techniques have so far been limited to superconducting qubits \cite{Barends2014}, as semiconductor systems have suffered from difficulties in coupling qubits and dephasing \cite{Nowack2011, Brunner2011, Shulman2012}. Here, we show that these issues can be eliminated altogether using single spins in isotopically enriched silicon\cite{Itoh2014} by demonstrating single- and two-qubit operations in a quantum dot system using the exchange interaction, as envisaged in the original Loss-DiVincenzo proposal \cite{Loss1998}. We realize CNOT gates via either controlled rotation (CROT) or controlled phase (CZ) operations combined with single-qubit operations. Direct gate-voltage control provides single-qubit addressability, together with a switchable exchange interaction that is employed in the two-qubit CZ gate. The speed of the two-qubit CZ operations is controlled electrically via the detuning energy and we find that over 100 two-qubit gates can be performed within a two-qubit coherence time of 8 \textmu s, thereby satisfying the criteria required for scalable quantum computation.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Quantifying the quantum gate fidelity of single-atom spin qubits in silicon by randomized benchmarking

Building upon the demonstration of coherent control and single-shot readout of the electron and nuclear spins of individual 31-P atoms in silicon, we present here a systematic experimental estimate of quantum gate fidelities using randomized benchmarking of 1-qubit gates in the Clifford group. We apply this analysis to the electron and the ionized 31-P nucleus of a single P donor in isotopically purified 28-Si. We find average gate fidelities of 99.95 % for the electron, and 99.99 % for the nuclear spin. These values are above certain error correction thresholds, and demonstrate the potential of donor-based quantum computing in silicon. By studying the influence of the shape and power of the control pulses, we find evidence that the present limitation to the gate fidelity is mostly related to the external hardware, and not the intrinsic behaviour of the qubit.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

An addressable quantum dot qubit with fault-tolerant control fidelity

Exciting progress towards spin-based quantum computing has recently been made with qubits realized using nitrogen-vacancy (N-V) centers in diamond and phosphorus atoms in silicon, including the demonstration of long coherence times made possible by the presence of spin-free isotopes of carbon and silicon. However, despite promising single-atom nanotechnologies, there remain substantial challenges in coupling such qubits and addressing them individually. Conversely, lithographically defined quantum dots have an exchange coupling that can be precisely engineered, but strong coupling to noise has severely limited their dephasing times and control fidelities. Here we combine the best aspects of both spin qubit schemes and demonstrate a gate-addressable quantum dot qubit in isotopically engineered silicon with a control fidelity of 99.6%, obtained via Clifford based randomized benchmarking and consistent with that required for fault-tolerant quantum computing. This qubit has orders of magnitude improved coherence times compared with other quantum dot qubits, with T_2* = 120 mus and T_2 = 28 ms. By gate-voltage tuning of the electron g*-factor, we can Stark shift the electron spin resonance (ESR) frequency by more than 3000 times the 2.4 kHz ESR linewidth, providing a direct path to large-scale arrays of addressable high-fidelity qubits that are compatible with existing manufacturing technologies.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Observation of zero-point quantum fluctuations of a single-molecule magnet through the relaxation of its nuclear spin bath

A single-molecule magnet placed in a magnetic field perpendicular to its anisotropy axis can be truncated to an effective two-level system, with easily tunable energy splitting. The quantum coherence of the molecular spin is largely determined by the dynamics of the surrounding nuclear spin bath. Here we report the measurement of the nuclear spin--lattice relaxation in a single crystal of the single-molecule magnet Mn$_{12}$-ac, at $T \approx 30$ mK in perpendicular fields $B_{\perp}$ up to 9 T. Although the molecular spin is in its ground state, we observe an increase of the nuclear relaxation rates by several orders of magnitude up to the highest $B_{\perp}$. This unique finding is a consequence of the zero-point quantum fluctuations of the Mn$_{12}$-ac spin, which allow it to efficiently transfer energy from the excited nuclear spin bath to the lattice. Our experiment highlights the importance of quantum fluctuations in the interaction between an `effective two-level system' and its surrounding spin bath.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Spin-valley lifetimes in a silicon quantum dot with tunable valley splitting

Although silicon is a promising material for quantum computation, the degeneracy of the conduction band minima (valleys) must be lifted with a splitting sufficient to ensure formation of well-defined and long-lived spin qubits. Here we demonstrate that valley separation can be accurately tuned via electrostatic gate control in a metal-oxide-semiconductor quantum dot, providing splittings spanning 0.3 - 0.8 meV. The splitting varies linearly with applied electric field, with a ratio in agreement with atomistic tight-binding predictions. We demonstrate single-shot spin readout and measure the spin relaxation for different valley configurations and dot occupancies, finding one-electron lifetimes exceeding 2 seconds. Spin relaxation occurs via phonon emission due to spin-orbit coupling between the valley states, a process not previously anticipated for silicon quantum dots. An analytical theory describes the magnetic field dependence of the relaxation rate, including the presence of a dramatic rate enhancement (or hot-spot) when Zeeman and valley splittings coincide.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Nanoscale broadband transmission lines for spin qubit control

The intense interest in spin-based quantum information processing has caused an increasing overlap between two traditionally distinct disciplines, such as magnetic resonance and nanotechnology. In this work we discuss rigourous design guidelines to integrate microwave circuits with charge-sensitive nanostructures, and describe how to simulate such structures accurately and efficiently. We present a new design for an on-chip, broadband, nanoscale microwave line that optimizes the magnetic field driving a spin qubit, while minimizing the disturbance on a nearby charge sensor. This new structure was successfully employed in a single-spin qubit experiment, and shows that the simulations accurately predict the magnetic field values even at frequencies as high as 30 GHz.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Orbital and valley state spectra of a few-electron silicon quantum dot

Understanding interactions between orbital and valley quantum states in silicon nanodevices is crucial in assessing the prospects of spin-based qubits. We study the energy spectra of a few-electron silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor quantum dot using dynamic charge sensing and pulsed-voltage spectroscopy. The occupancy of the quantum dot is probed down to the single-electron level using a nearby single-electron transistor as a charge sensor. The energy of the first orbital excited state is found to decrease rapidly as the electron occupancy increases from N=1 to 4. By monitoring the sequential spin filling of the dot we extract a valley splitting of ~230 μeV, irrespective of electron number. This indicates that favorable conditions for qubit operation are in place in the few-electron regime.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

Pauli Spin Blockade in a Highly Tunable Silicon Double Quantum Dot

Double quantum dots are convenient solid-state platforms to encode quantum information. Two-electron spin states can be conveniently detected and manipulated using strong quantum selection rules based on the Pauli exclusion principle, leading to the well-know Pauli spin blockade of electron transport for triplet states. Coherent spin states would be optimally preserved in an environment free of nuclear spins, which is achievable in silicon by isotopic purification. Here we report on a deliberately engineered, gate-defined silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor double quantum dot system. The electron occupancy of each dot and the inter-dot tunnel coupling are independently tunable by electrostatic gates. At weak inter-dot coupling we clearly observe Pauli spin blockade and measure a large intra-dot singlet-triplet splitting $>$ 1 meV. The leakage current in spin blockade has a peculiar magnetic field dependence, unrelated to electron-nuclear effects and consistent with the effect of spin-flip cotunneling processes. The results obtained here provide excellent prospects for realizing singlet-triplet qubits in silicon.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Resonant tunnelling features in the transport spectroscopy of quantum dots

We present a review of features due to resonant tunnelling in transport spectroscopy experiments on quantum dots and single donors. The review covers features attributable to intrinsic properties of the dot as well as extrinsic effects, with a focus on the most common operating conditions. We describe several phenomena that can lead to apparently identical signatures in a bias spectroscopy measurement, with the aim of providing experimental methods to distinguish between their different physical origins. The correct classification of the resonant tunnelling features is an essential requirement to understand the details of the confining potential or predict the performance of the dot for quantum information processing.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Observation of the single-electron regime in a highly tunable silicon quantum dot

We report on low-temperature electronic transport measurements of a silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor quantum dot, with independent gate control of electron densities in the leads and the quantum dot island. This architecture allows the dot energy levels to be probed without affecting the electron density in the leads, and vice versa. Appropriate gate biasing enables the dot occupancy to be reduced to the single-electron level, as evidenced by magnetospectroscopy measurements of the ground state of the first two charge transitions. Independent gate control of the electron reservoirs also enables discrimination between excited states of the dot and density of states modulations in the leads.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Probe and Control of the Reservoir Density of States in Single-Electron Devices

We present a systematic study of quasi-one-dimensional density of states (DOS) in electron accumulation layers near a Si-SiO2 interface. In the experiments we have employed two conceptually different objects to probe DOS, namely, a phosphorus donor and a quantum dot, both operating in the single-electron tunneling regime. We demonstrate how the peaks in DOS can be moved in the transport window independently of the other device properties, and in agreement with the theoretical analysis. This method introduces a fast and convenient way of identifying excited states in these emerging nanostructures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Architecture for high-sensitivity single-shot readout and control of the electron spin of individual donors in silicon

We describe a method to control and detect in single-shot the electron spin state of an individual donor in silicon with greatly enhanced sensitivity. A silicon-based Single-Electron Transistor (SET) allows for spin-dependent tunneling of the donor electron directly into the SET island during the read-out phase. Simulations show that the charge transfer signals are typically Δq > 0.2 e - over an order of magnitude larger than achievable with metallic SETs on the SiO2 surface. A complete spin-based qubit structure is obtained by adding a local Electron Spin Resonance line for coherent spin control. This architecture is ideally suited to demonstrate and study the coherent properties of donor electron spins, but can be expanded and integrated with classical control electronics in the context of scale-up.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Local Magnetic Properties of a Monolayer of Mn12 Single Molecule Magnets

The magnetic properties of a monolayer of Mn12 single molecule magnets grafted onto a Si substrate have been investigated using depth-controlled $β$-detected nuclear magnetic resonance. A low energy beam of spin polarized radioactive 8Li was used to probe the local static magnetic field distribution near the Mn12 monolayer in the Si substrate. The resonance linewidth varies strongly as a function of implantation depth as a result of the magnetic dipolar fields generated by the Mn12 electronic magnetic moments. The temperature dependence of the linewidth indicates that the magnetic properties of the Mn12 moments in this low dimensional configuration differ from bulk Mn12.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2006

Magnetic dipolar ordering and relaxation in the high-spin molecular cluster compound Mn6

Few examples of magnetic systems displaying a transition to pure dipolar magnetic order are known to date, and single-molecule magnets can provide an interesting example. The molecular cluster spins and thus their dipolar interaction energy can be quite high, leading to reasonably accessible ordering temperatures, provided the crystal field anisotropy is sufficiently small. This condition can be met for molecular clusters of sufficiently high symmetry, as for the Mn6 compound studied here. Magnetic specific heat and susceptibility experiments show a transition to ferromagnetic dipolar order at T_{c} = 0.16 K. Classical Monte-Carlo calculations indeed predict ferromagnetic ordering and account for the correct value of T_{c}. In high magnetic fields we detected the contribution of the ^{55}Mn nuclei to the specific heat, and the characteristic timescale of nuclear relaxation. This was compared with results obtained directly from pulse-NMR experiments. The data are in good mutual agreement and can be well described by the theory for magnetic relaxation in highly polarized paramagnetic crystals and for dynamic nuclear polarization, which we extensively review. The experiments provide an interesting comparison with the recently investigated nuclear spin dynamics in the anisotropic single molecule magnet Mn12-ac.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2004

An automated and versatile ultra-low temperature SQUID magnetometer

We present the design and construction of a SQUID-based magnetometer for operation down to temperatures T = 10 mK, while retaining the compatibility with the sample holders typically used in commercial SQUID magnetometers. The system is based on a dc-SQUID coupled to a second-order gradiometer. The sample is placed inside the plastic mixing chamber of a dilution refrigerator and is thermalized directly by the 3He flow. The movement though the pickup coils is obtained by lifting the whole dilution refrigerator insert. A home-developed software provides full automation and an easy user interface.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2002

Long-range ferromagnetic dipolar ordering of high-spin molecular clusters

We report the first example of a transition to long-range magnetic order in a purely dipolarly interacting molecular magnet. For the magnetic cluster compound Mn6O4Br4(Et2dbm)6, the anisotropy experienced by the total spin S=12 of each cluster is so small that spin-lattice relaxation remains fast down to the lowest temperatures, thus enabling dipolar order to occur within experimental times at Tc = 0.16 K. In high magnetic fields, the relaxation rate becomes drastically reduced and the interplay between nuclear- and electron-spin lattice relaxation is revealed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗