arXiv subjects

A. R. Hamilton

Publications and source records attributed to A. R. Hamilton.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Anisotropic spin-blockade leakage current in a Ge hole double quantum dot

Group IV quantum dot hole spin systems, exhibiting strong spin-orbit coupling, provide platforms for various qubit architectures. The rapid advancement of solid-state technologies has significantly improved qubit quality, including the time scales characterizing electrical operation, relaxation, and dephasing. At this stage of development, understanding the relations between the underlying spin-orbit coupling and experimental parameters, such as quantum dot geometry and external electric and magnetic fields, has become a priority. Here we focus on a Ge hole double quantum dot in the Pauli spin blockade regime and present a complete analysis of the leakage current under an out-of-plane magnetic field. By considering a model of anisotropic in-plane confinement and $k^3$-Rashba spin-orbit coupling, we determine the behaviour of the leakage current as a function of detuning, magnetic field magnitude, interdot distance, and individual dot ellipticities. We identify regions in which the leakage current can be suppressed by quantum dot geometry designs. Most importantly, by rotating one of the quantum dots, we observe that the quantum dot shape induces a strongly anisotropic leakage current. These findings provide guidelines for probing the spin-orbit coupling, enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio, and improving the precision of Pauli spin blockade readout in hole qubit architectures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Holes in silicon are heavier than expected: transport properties of extremely high mobility electrons and holes in silicon MOSFETs

The quality of the silicon-oxide interface plays a crucial role in fabricating reproducible silicon spin qubits. In this work we characterize interface quality by performing mobility measurements on silicon Hall bars. We find a peak electron mobility of nearly $40,000\,\text{cm}^2/\text{Vs}$ in a device with a $21\,\text{nm}$ oxide layer, and a peak hole mobility of about $2,000\,\text{cm}^2/\text{Vs}$ in a device with $8\,\text{nm}$ oxide, the latter being the highest recorded mobility for a p-type silicon MOSFET. Despite the high device quality, we note an order-of-magnitude difference in mobility between electrons and holes. By studying additional n-type and p-type devices with identical oxides, and fitting to transport theory, we show that this mobility discrepancy is due to valence band nonparabolicity. The nonparabolicity endows holes with a density-dependent transverse effective mass ranging from $0.6m_0$ to $0.7m_0$, significantly larger than the usually quoted bend-edge mass of $0.22m_0$. Finally, we perform magnetotransport measurements to extract momentum and quantum scattering lifetimes.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Effect of disorder and strain on the operation of planar Ge hole spin qubits

Germanium quantum dots in strained $\text{Ge}/\text{Si}_{1-x}\text{Ge}_{x}$ heterostructures exhibit fast and coherent hole qubit control in experiments. In this work, we theoretically and numerically address the effects of random alloy disorder and gate-induced strain on the operation of planar Ge hole spin qubits. Electrical operation of hole quantum dot spin qubits is enabled by the strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC) originating from the intrinsic SOC in the Ge valence band as well as from the structural inversion asymmetry inherent in the underlying 2D hole gas. We use the atomistic valence force field (VFF) method to compute the strain due to random alloy disorder, and thermal expansion models in COMSOL Multiphysics to obtain the strain from a realistic gate-stack of planar hole quantum dot confinement. Recently, spin-orbit coupling terms $\propto k$ have been shown to be induced by strain inhomogeneity. Our hybrid approach to realistic device modeling suggests that strain inhomogeneity due to both random alloy disorder and gate-induced strain make a strong contribution to the linear-$k$ Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling, which eventually dominates hole spin EDSR; and there exist specific in-plane orientations of the global magnetic field $\mathbf{B}$ and the microwave drive $\mathbf{\tilde{E}}_{\text{ac}}$ for maximum EDSR Rabi frequency of the hole spin qubit. The current model including strain inhomogeneity accurately predicts the EDSR Rabi frequency to be $\!\sim\!100$ MHz for typical electric and magnetic fields in experiments, which represents at least an order of magnitude improvement in accuracy over phenomenological models assuming uniform uniaxial strain. State-of-the-art atomistic tight binding calculations via nano-electronic modeling (NEMO3D) are in agreement with the $\mathbf{k}{\cdot}\mathbf{p}$ description.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Simultaneous study of acoustic and optic phonon scattering of electrons and holes in undoped $\mathrm{GaAs}$/$\mathrm{Al_{x} Ga_{1-x} As}$ heterostructures

The study of phonon coupling in doped semiconductors via electrical transport measurements is challenging due to unwanted temperature-induced effects such as dopant ionisation and parallel conduction. Here, we study phonon scattering in 2D electrons and holes in the $1.6-92.5$K range without the use of extrinsic doping, where both acoustic and longitudinal optic (LO) phonons come into effect. We use undoped GaAs/$\mathrm{Al_{x} Ga_{1-x} As}$ heterostructures and examine the temperature dependence of the sample resistivity, extracting phonon coupling constants and the LO activation energy. Our results are consistent with results obtained through approaches other than transport measurements, and highlight the benefit of this approach for studying electron-phonon and hole-phonon coupling.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Quantum magnetic oscillations in the absence of closed electron trajectories

Quantum magnetic oscillations in crystals are typically understood in terms of Bohr-Sommerfeld quantisation, the frequency of oscillation is given by the area of a closed electron trajectory. However, since the 1970s, oscillations have been observed with frequencies that do not correspond to closed electron trajectories and this effect has remained not fully understood. Previous theory has focused on explaining the effect using various kinetic mechanisms, however, frequencies without a closed electron orbit have been observed in equilibrium and so a kinetic mechanism cannot be the entire story. In this work we develop a theory which explains these frequencies in equilibrium and can thus be used to understand measurements of both Shubnikov-de Haas and de Haas-van Alphen oscillations. We show, analytically, that these frequencies arise due to multi-electron correlations. We then extend our theory to explain a recent experiment on artificial crystals in GaAs two-dimensional electron gases, which revealed for the first time magnetic oscillations having frequencies that are half of those previously observed. We show that the half-frequencies arise in equilibrium from single-particle dynamics with account of impurities. Our analytic results are reinforced by exact numerics, which we also use clarify prior works on the kinetic regime.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Lateral 2D superlattices in GaAs heterostructures with independent control of carrier density and modulation potential

We present a new double-layer design for 2D surface superlattice systems in GaAs-AlGaAs heterostructures. Unlike previous studies, our device (1) uses an in-situ gate, which allows very short period superlattice in high mobility, shallow heterostructures; (2) enables independent control of the carrier density and the superlattice modulation potential amplitude over a wide range. We characterise this device design using low-temperature magneto-transport measurements and show that the fabrication process caused minimal damage to the system. We demonstrate the tuning of potential modulation from weak (much smaller than Fermi energy) to strong (larger than the Fermi energy) regimes.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

A singlet-triplet hole-spin qubit in MOS silicon

Holes in silicon quantum dots are promising for spin qubit applications due to the strong intrinsic spin-orbit coupling. The spin-orbit coupling produces complex hole-spin dynamics, providing opportunities to further optimize spin qubits. Here, we demonstrate a singlet-triplet qubit using hole states in a planar metal-oxide-semiconductor double quantum dot. We observe rapid qubit control with singlet-triplet oscillations up to 400 MHz. The qubit exhibits promising coherence, with a maximum dephasing time of 600 ns, which is enhanced to 1.3 us using refocusing techniques. We investigate the magnetic field anisotropy of the eigenstates, and determine a magnetic field orientation to improve the qubit initialisation fidelity. These results present a step forward for spin qubit technology, by implementing a high quality singlet-triplet hole-spin qubit in planar architecture suitable for scaling up to 2D arrays of coupled qubits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Probing Fermi surface parity with spin resolved transverse magnetic focussing

Measurements of the Fermi surface are a fundamental technique for determining the electrical and magnetic properties of solids. In 2D systems, the area and diameter of the Fermi surface is typically measured using Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations and commensurability oscillations respectively. However, these techniques are unable to detect changes in the parity of the Fermi surface (i.e. when +k $\neq$ -k). Here, we show that transverse magnetic focussing can be used to detect such changes, because focussing only measures a well defined section of the Fermi surface and does not average over +k and -k. Furthermore, our results show that focussing is an order of magnitude more sensitive to changes in the Fermi surface than other 2D techniques, and could be used to investigate similar Fermi surface changes in other 2D systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Electrical operation of hole spin qubits in planar MOS silicon quantum dots

Silicon hole quantum dots have been the subject of considerable attention thanks to their strong spin-orbit coupling enabling electrical control. The physics of silicon holes is qualitatively different from germanium holes and requires a separate theoretical description. In this work, we theoretically study the electrical control and coherence properties of silicon hole dots with different magnetic field orientations. We discuss possible experimental configurations to optimize the electric dipole spin resonance (EDSR) Rabi time, the phonon relaxation time, and the dephasing due to random telegraph noise. Our main findings are: (i) The in-plane $g$-factor is strongly influenced by the presence of the split-off band, as well as by any shear strain. The $g$-factor is a non-monotonic function of the top gate electric field, in agreement with recent experiments. This enables coherence sweet spots at specific values of the top gate field and specific magnetic field orientations. (ii) Even a small ellipticity (aspect ratios $\sim 1.2$) causes significant anisotropy in the in-plane $g$-factor, which can vary by $50\% - 100\%$ as the magnetic field is rotated in the plane. (iii) EDSR Rabi frequencies are comparable to Ge, and the ratio between the relaxation time and the EDSR Rabi time $\sim 10^5$. For an out-of-plane magnetic field the EDSR Rabi frequency is anisotropic with respect to the orientation of the driving electric field, varying by $\approx 20\%$ as the driving field is rotated in the plane. Our work aims to stimulate experiments by providing guidelines on optimizing configurations and geometries to achieve robust, fast and long-lived hole spin qubits in silicon.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Electrical operation of planar Ge hole spin qubits in an in-plane magnetic field

In this work we present a comprehensive theory of spin physics in planar Ge hole quantum dots in an in-plane magnetic field, where the orbital terms play a dominant role in qubit physics, and provide a brief comparison with experimental measurements of the angular dependence of electrically driven spin resonance. We focus the theoretical analysis on electrical spin operation, phonon-induced relaxation, and the existence of coherence sweet spots. We find that the choice of magnetic field orientation makes a substantial difference for the properties of hole spin qubits. Furthermore, although the Schrieffer-Wolff approximation can describe electron dipole spin resonance (EDSR), it does not capture the fundamental spin dynamics underlying qubit coherence. Specifically, we find that: (i) EDSR for in-plane magnetic fields varies non-linearly with the field strength and weaker than for perpendicular magnetic fields; (ii) The EDSR Rabi frequency is maximized when the a.c. electric field is aligned parallel to the magnetic field, and vanishes when the two are perpendicular; (iii) The Rabi ratio $T_1/T_π$, i.e. the number of EDSR gate operation per unit relaxation time, is expected to be as large as $5{\times}10^5$ at the magnetic fields used experimentally; (iv) The orbital magnetic field terms make the in-plane $g$-factor strongly anisotropic in a squeezed dot, in excellent agreement with experimental measurements; (v) The coherence sweet spots do not exist in an in-plane magnetic field, as the orbital magnetic field terms expose the qubit to all components of the defect electric field. These findings will provide a guideline for experiments to design ultrafast, highly coherent hole spin qubits in Ge.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Spin polarisation and spin dependent scattering of holes in transverse magnetic focussing

In 2D systems with a spin-orbit interaction, magnetic focussing can be used to create a spatial separation of particles with different spin. Here we measure hole magnetic focussing for two different magnitudes of the Rashba spin-orbit interaction. We find that when the Rashba spin-orbit magnitude is large there is significant attenuation of one of the focussing peaks, which is conventionally associated with a change in the spin polarisation. We instead show that in hole systems with a $k^3$ spin-orbit interaction, this peak suppression is due to a change in the scattering of one spin state, not a change in spin polarisation. We also show that the change in scattering length extracted from magnetic focussing is consistent with results obtained from measurements of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations. This result suggests that scattering must be considered when relating focussing peak amplitude to spin polarisation in hole systems

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Phase transformation-induced superconducting aluminium-silicon alloy rings

The development of a materials platform that exhibits both superconducting and semiconducting properties is an important endeavour for a range of emerging quantum technologies. We investigate the formation of superconductivity in nanowires fabricated with silicon-on-insulator (SOI). Aluminium from deposited contact electrodes is found to interdiffuses with the Si nanowire structures to form an Al-Si alloy along the entire length of the predefined nanowire device over micron length scales at temperatures well below that of the Al-Si eutectic. The resultant transformed nanowire structures are layered in geometry with a continuous Al-Si alloy wire sitting on the buried oxide of the SOI and a residual Si cap sitting on top of the wire. The phase transformed material is conformal with any predefined device patterns and the resultant structures are exceptionally smooth-walled compared to similar nanowire devices formed by silicidation processes. The superconducting properties of a mesoscopic AlSi ring formed on a SOI platform are investigated. Low temperature magnetoresistance oscillations, quantized in units of the fluxoid, h/2e, are observed.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Gate voltage dependent Rashba spin splitting in hole transverse magnetic focussing

Magnetic focussing of charge carriers in two-dimensional systems provides a solid state version of a mass spectrometer. In the presence of a spin-orbit interaction, the first focussing peak splits into two spin dependent peaks, allowing focussing to be used to measure spin polarisation and the strength of the spin-orbit interaction. In hole systems, the k^3 dependence of the Rashba spin-orbit term allows the spatial separation of spins to be changed in-situ using a voltage applied to an overall top gate. Here we demonstrate that this can be used to control the splitting of the magnetic focussing peaks. Additionally, we compare the focussing peak splitting to that predicted by Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations and k.p bandstructure calculations. We find that the focussing peak splitting is consistently larger than expected, suggesting further work is needed on understanding spin dependent magnetic focussing.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Lightly-strained germanium quantum wells with hole mobility exceeding one million

We demonstrate that a lightly-strained germanium channel ($\varepsilon_{//}$ = -0.41%) in an undoped Ge/Si$_{0.1}$Ge$_{0.9}$ heterostructure field effect transistor supports a 2D hole gas with mobility in excess of 1$\times$10$^{6}$ cm$^{2}$/Vs and percolation density less than 5$\times$10$^{10}$ cm$^{-2}$. This low disorder 2D hole system shows tunable fractional quantum Hall effect at low density and low magnetic field. The low-disorder and small effective mass (0.068$m_e$) defines lightly-strained germanium as a basis to tune the strength of the spin-orbit coupling for fast and coherent quantum hardware.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

A high-mobility hole bilayer in a germanium double quantum well

We design, fabricate, and study a hole bilayer in a strained germanium double quantum well. Magnetotransport characterisation of double quantum well field-effect transistors as a function of gate voltage reveals the population of two hole channels with a high combined mobility of 3.34$\times$10$^5$ cm$^2$/Vs and a low percolation density of 2.38$\times$10$^{10}$ cm$^{-2}$. We resolve the individual population of the channels from the interference patterns of the Landau fan diagram. At a density of 2.0$\times$10$^{11}$ cm$^{-2}$ the system is in resonance and we observe an anti-crossing of the first two bilayer subbands characterized by a symmetric-antisymmetric gap of $\sim$0.69 meV, in agreement with Schrödinger-Poisson simulations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Effects of biased and unbiased illuminations on dopant-free GaAs/AlGaAs 2DEGs

Illumination is performed at low temperature on dopant-free two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) of varying depths, under unbiased (gates grounded) and biased (gates at a positive or negative voltage) conditions. Unbiased illuminations in 2DEGs located more than 70 nm away from the surface result in a gain in mobility at a given electron density, primarily driven by the reduction of background impurities. In 2DEGs closer to the surface, unbiased illuminations result in a mobility loss, driven by an increase in surface charge density. Biased illuminations performed with positive applied gate voltages result in a mobility gain, whereas those performed with negative applied voltages result in a mobility loss. The magnitude of the mobility gain (loss) weakens with 2DEG depth, and is likely driven by a reduction (increase) in surface charge density. Remarkably, this mobility gain/loss is fully reversible by performing another biased illumination with the appropriate gate voltage, provided both n-type and p-type ohmic contacts are present. Experimental results are modeled with Boltzmann transport theory, and possible mechanisms are discussed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Electrical control of the $g$-tensor of a single hole in a silicon MOS quantum dot

Single holes confined in semiconductor quantum dots are a promising platform for spin qubit technology, due to the electrical tunability of the $g$-factor of holes. However, the underlying mechanisms that enable electric spin control remain unclear due to the complexity of hole spin states. Here, we study the underlying hole spin physics of the first hole in a silicon planar MOS quantum dot. We show that non-uniform electrode-induced strain produces nanometre-scale variations in the HH-LH splitting. Importantly, we find that this \RR{non-uniform strain causes} the HH-LH splitting to vary by up to 50\% across the active region of the quantum dot. We show that local electric fields can be used to displace the hole relative to the non-uniform strain profile, allowing a new mechanism for electric modulation of the hole g-tensor. Using this mechanism we demonstrate tuning of the hole $g$-factor by up to 500\%. In addition, we observe a \RR{potential} sweet spot where d$g_{(1\overline{1}0)}$/d$V$ = 0, offering a configuration to suppress spin decoherence caused by electrical noise. These results open a path towards a previously unexplored technology: engineering of \RR{non-uniform} strains to optimise spin-based devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Optimal operation points for ultrafast, highly coherent Ge hole spin-orbit qubits

Strong spin-orbit interactions make hole quantum dots central to the quest for electrical spin qubit manipulation enabling fast, low-power, scalable quantum computation. Yet it is important to establish to what extent spin-orbit coupling exposes qubits to electrical noise, facilitating decoherence. Here, taking Ge as an example, we show that group IV gate-defined hole spin qubits generically exhibit optimal operation points, defined by the top gate electric field, at which they are both fast and long-lived: the dephasing rate vanishes to first order in electric field noise along all directions in space, the electron dipole spin resonance strength is maximised, while relaxation is drastically reduced at small magnetic fields. The existence of optimal operation points is traced to group IV crystal symmetry and properties of the Rashba spin-orbit interaction unique to spin-3/2 systems. Our results overturn the conventional wisdom that fast operation implies reduced lifetimes, and suggest group IV hole spin qubits as ideal platforms for ultra-fast, highly coherent scalable quantum computing.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗