arXiv subjects

B. S. Palmer

Publications and source records attributed to B. S. Palmer.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Charge Parity Rates in Transmon Qubits with Different Shunting Capacitors

The presence of non-equilibrium quasiparticles in superconducting resonators and qubits operating at millikelvin temperature has been known for decades. One metric for the number of quasiparticles affecting qubits is the rate of single-electron change in charge on the qubit island ($\textit i.e.$ the charge parity rate). Here, we have utilized a Ramsey-like pulse sequence to monitor changes in the parity states of five transmon qubits. The five qubits have shunting capacitors with two different geometries and fabricated from both Al and Ta. The charge parity rate differs by a factor of two for the two transmon designs studied here but does not depend on the material of the shunting capacitor. The underlying mechanism of the source of parity switching is further investigated in one of the qubit devices by increasing the quasiparticle trapping rate using induced vortices in the electrodes of the device. The charge parity rate exhibited a weak dependence on the quasiparticle trapping rate, indicating that the main source of charge parity events is from the production of quasiparticles across the Josephson junction. To estimate this source of quasiparticle production, we simulate and estimate pair-breaking photon absorption rates for our two qubit geometries and find a similar factor of two in the absorption rate for a background blackbody radiation temperature of $T^*\sim$ 350 mK.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Fabrication of Metal Air Bridges for Superconducting Circuits using Two-photon Lithography

Extraneous high frequency chip modes parasitic to superconducting quantum circuits can result in decoherence when these modes are excited. To suppress these modes, superconducting air bridges (AB) are commonly used to electrically connect ground planes together when interrupted by transmission lines. Here, we demonstrate the use of two-photon photolithography to build a supporting 3D resist structure in conjunction with a lift-off process to create AB. The resulting aluminum AB, have a superconducting transition temperature $T_{c} = 1.08$ K and exhibit good mechanical strength up to lengths of 100 $μ$m. A measurable amount of microwave loss is observed when 35 AB were placed over a high-$Q$ Ta quarter-wave coplanar waveguide resonator.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Generalized geometric speed limits for quantum observables

Leveraging quantum information geometry, we derive generalized quantum speed limits on the rate of change of the expectation values of observables. These bounds subsume and, for Hilbert space dimension $\geq 3$, tighten existing bounds -- in some cases by an arbitrarily large multiplicative constant. The generalized bounds can be used to design "fast" Hamiltonians that enable the rapid driving of the expectation values of observables with potential applications e.g.~to quantum annealing, optimal control, variational quantum algorithms, and quantum sensing. Our theoretical results are supported by illustrative examples and an experimental demonstration using a superconducting qutrit. Possibly of independent interest, along the way to one of our bounds we derive a novel upper bound on the generalized quantum Fisher information with respect to time (including the standard symmetric logarithmic derivative quantum Fisher information) for unitary dynamics in terms of the variance of the associated Hamiltonian and the condition number of the density matrix.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Impact of etches on thin-film single-crystal niobium resonators

A single crystal niobium thin film was grown using molecular beam epitaxy on a c-plane sapphire wafer. Several samples were fabricated into dc resistivity test devices and coplanar waveguide resonator chips using the same microfabrication procedures and solvent cleans. The samples were then subject to different acid cleaning treatments using different combinations of piranha, hydrofluoric acid, and buffered oxide etch solutions. The different samples expressed changes in dc resistivity in the normal and superconducting states such that the low temperature resistivities changed by more than 100\%, and the residual resistivity ratio dropped by a factor of 2. The internal quality factor of coplanar waveguide resonators measured near 5~GHz also showed significant variation at single photon powers ranging from 1.4$\times 10^6$ to less than 60$\times 10^3$. These changes correlate with the formation of surface crystallites that appear to be hydrocarbons. All observations are consistent with hydrogen diffusing into the niobium film at levels below the saturation threshold that is needed to observe niobium hydrides.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Identification and Mitigation of Conducting Package Losses for Quantum Superconducting Devices

Low-loss superconducting rf devices are required when used for quantum computation. Here, we present a series of measurements and simulations showing that conducting losses in the packaging of our superconducting resonator devices affect the maximum achievable internal quality factors (Qi) for a series of thin-film Al quarter-wave resonators with fundamental resonant frequencies varying between 4.9 and 5.8 GHz. By utilizing resonators with different widths and gaps, different volumes of the stored electromagnetic energy were sampled thus affecting Qi. When the backside of the sapphire substrate of the resonator device is adhered to a Cu package with a conducting silver glue, a monotonic decrease in the maximum achievable Qi is found as the electromagnetic sampling volume is increased. This is a result of induced currents in large surface resistance regions and dissipation underneath the substrate. By placing a hole underneath the substrate and using superconducting material for the package, we decrease the ohmic losses and increase the maximum Qi for the larger size resonators.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Characterization of Asymmetric Gap-Engineered Josephson Junctions and 3D Transmon Qubits

We have fabricated and characterized asymmetric gap-engineered junctions and transmon devices. To create Josephson junctions with asymmetric gaps, Ti was used to proximitize and lower the superconducting gap of the Al counter-electrode. DC IV measurements of these small, proximitized Josephson junctions show a reduced gap and larger excess current for voltage biases below the superconducting gap when compared to standard Al/AlOx/Al junctions. The energy relaxation time constant for an Al/AlOx/Al/Ti 3D transmon was T1 = 1 μs, over two orders of magnitude shorter than the measured T1 = 134 μs of a standard Al/AlOx/Al 3D transmon. Intentionally adding disorder between the Al and Ti layers reduces the proximity effect and subgap current while increasing the relaxation time to T1 = 32 μs.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Long-lived transmons with different electrode layouts

To test the contribution of non-equilibrium quasiparticles to qubit relaxation, we have repeatedly measured the relaxation time T_1 in Al/AlOx/Al transmons with electrodes that have different superconducting gaps. In one device, the first layer electrode was formed by thermal evaporation of nominally pure Al, while the counter-electrode was formed by deposition of oxygen-doped Al, which gave a larger gap value. The relaxation time was long, but showed large fluctuations, with T_1 varying between about 100 and 300 μs at 20 mK. In other transmons, we formed the first layer electrode by deposition of oxygen-doped Al, while the counter-electrode was formed by deposition of nominally pure Al. These devices showed a similar range of large and fluctuating T_1 values, with maximum T_1 values over 200 μs. The relaxation time of the devices did not depend strongly on temperature below about 150 mK, but dropped rapidly above this due to thermally-generated quasiparticles.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Implementation of a generalized CNOT gate between fixed-frequency transmons

We have embedded two fixed-frequency Al/AlO$_{\textrm{x}}$/Al transmons, with ground-to-excited transition frequencies at 6.0714 GHz and 6.7543 GHz, in a single 3D Al cavity with a fundamental mode at 7.7463 GHz. Strong coupling between the cavity and each transmon results in an effective qubit-qubit coupling strength of 26 MHz and a -1 MHz dispersive shift in each qubit's transition frequency, depending on the state of the other qubit. Using the all-microwave SWIPHT (Speeding up Waveforms by Inducing Phases to Harmful Transitions) technique, we demonstrate the operation of a generalized controlled-not (CNOT) gate between the two qubits, with a gate time $τ_g= 907$ ns optimized for this device. Using quantum process tomography we find that the gate fidelity is 83%-84%, somewhat less than the 87% fidelity expected from relaxation and dephasing in the transmons during the gate time.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Hot electron heatsinks for microwave attenuators below 100 mK

We demonstrate improvements to the cooling power of broad bandwidth (10 GHz) microwave attenuators designed for operation at temperatures below 100 mK. By interleaving 9-$μ$m thick conducting copper heatsinks in between 10-$μ$m long, 70-nm thick resistive nichrome elements, the electrical heat generated in the nichrome elements is conducted more readily into the heatsinks, effectively decreasing the thermal resistance between the hot electrons and cold phonons. For a 20 dB attenuator mounted at 20 mK, a minimum noise temperature of $T_{n} \sim$ 50 mK was obtained for small dissipated powers ($P_d <$ 1 nW) in the attenuator. For higher dissipated powers we find $T_n \propto P_{d}^{(1/4.4)}$, with $P_{d} =$ 100 nW corresponding to a noise temperature of 90 mK. This is in good agreement with thermal modeling of the system and represents nearly a factor of 20 improvement in cooling power, or a factor of 1.8 reduction in $T_n$ for the same dissipated power, when compared to a previous design without interleaved heatsinks.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2017

Microwave attenuators for use with quantum devices below 100 mK

To reduce the level of thermally generated electrical noise transmitted to superconducting quantum devices operating at 20 mK, we have developed thin-film microwave power attenuators operating from 1 to 10 GHz. The 20 dB and 30 dB attenuators are built on a quartz substrate and use 75 nm thick films of nichrome for dissipative components and 0.001 mm thick silver films as hot electron heat sinks. The noise temperature of the attenuators was quantified by connecting the output to a 3D cavity containing a transmon qubit and extracting the dephasing rate of the qubit as a function of temperature and dissipated power P_d in the attenuator. The minimum noise temperature T_n of the output from the 20 dB attenuator was T_n less than and equal to 53 mK for no additional applied power and T_n about 120 mK when dissipating 30 nW. In the limit of large dissipated power (P_d > 1 nW) we find T_n proportional to P_d^(1/5.4), consistent with detailed thermal modeling of heat flow in the attenuators.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2013

Decoherence in a Pair of Long-Lived Cooper-Pair Boxes

We have investigated the decoherence of quantum states in two Al/AlOx/Al Cooper-pair boxes coupled to lumped element superconducting LC resonators. At 25 mK, the first qubit had an energy relaxation time T1 that varied from 30 us to 200 us between 4 and 8 GHz and displayed an inverse correlation between T1 and the coupling to the microwave drive line. The Ramsey fringe decay times T2* were in the 200-500 ns range while the spin echo envelope decay times Techo varied from 2.4-3.3 us, consistent with 1/f charge noise with a high frequency cutoff of 0.2 MHz. A second Cooper-pair box qubit with similar parameters showed T1=4-30 us between 4-7.3 GHz, and that the T1 and the coupling were again inversely correlated. Although the lifetime of the second device was shorter than that of the first device, the dependence on coupling in both devices suggests that further reduction in coupling should lead to improved qubit performance.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Observation of Autler-Townes effect in a dispersively dressed Jaynes-Cummings system

Photon number splitting is observed in a transmon coupled to a superconducting quasi-lumped-element resonator in the strong dispersive limit. A thermal population of 5.474 GHz photons at an effective resonator temperature of T = 120mK results in a weak n = 1 photon peak along with the n = 0 photon peak in the qubit spectrum in the absence of a coherent drive on the resonator. Two-tone spectroscopy using independent coupler and probe tones reveals an Autler-Townes splitting in the thermal n = 1 photon peak. The observed effect is explained accurately using the four lowest levels of the dispersively dressed qubit-resonator system and compared to results from numerical simulations of the steady-state master equation for the coupled system.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Autler-Townes splitting in a three-dimensional transmon superconducting qubit

We have observed the Autler-Townes doublet in a superconducting Al/AlOx/Al transmon qubit that acts as an artificial atom embedded in a three-dimensional Cu microwave cavity at a temperature of 22 mK. Using pulsed microwave spectroscopy, the three lowest transmon levels are isolated, eliminating unwanted effects of higher qubit modes and cavity modes. The long coherence time (~40 us) of the transmon enables us to observe a clear Autler-Townes splitting at drive amplitudes much smaller than the transmon level anharmonicity (177 MHz). Three-level density matrix simulations with no free parameters provide excellent fits to the data. At maximum separation, the fidelity of a dark state achieved in this experiment is estimated to be 99.6-99.9%.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Spectroscopy of a Cooper-Pair Box Coupled to a Two-Level System Via Charge and Critical Current

We report on the quadrupling of the transition spectrum of an Al/AlOx/Al Cooper-pair box (CPB) charge qubit in the 4.0-7.3 GHz frequency range. The qubit was coupled to a quasi-lumped element Al superconducting resonator and measured at a temperature of 25 mK. We obtained good matches between the observed spectrum and the spectra calculated from a model Hamiltonian containing two distinct low excitation energy two-level systems (TLS) coupled to the CPB. In our model, each TLS has a charge that tunnels between two sites in a local potential and induces a change in the CPB critical current. By fitting the model to the spectrum, we have extracted microscopic parameters of the fluctuators including the well asymmetry, tunneling rate, and a surprisingly large fractional change (30-40%) in the critical current (12 nA). This large change is consistent with a Josephson junction with a non-uniform tunnel barrier containing a few dominant conduction channels and a TLS that modulates one of them.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Thin-film superconducting resonator tunable to the ground-state hyperfine splitting of $^{87}$Rb

We describe a thin-film superconducting Nb microwave resonator, tunable to within 0.3 ppm of the hyperfine splitting of $^{87}$Rb at $f_{Rb}=6.834683$ GHz. We coarsely tuned the resonator using electron-beam lithography, decreasing the resonance frequency from 6.8637 GHz to 6.8278 GHz. For \emph{in situ} fine tuning at 15 mK, the resonator inductance was varied using a piezoelectric stage to move a superconducting pin above the resonator. We found a maximum frequency shift of about 8.7 kHz per 60-nm piezoelectric step and a tuning range of 18 MHz.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Decoupling a Cooper-pair box to enhance the lifetime to 0.2 ms

We present a circuit QED experiment in which a separate transmission line is used to address a quasi-lumped element superconducting microwave resonator which is in turn coupled to an Al/AlO$_{x}$/Al Cooper-pair box (CPB) charge qubit. In our measurements we find a strong correlation between the measured lifetime of the CPB and the coupling between the qubit and the transmission line. By monitoring perturbations of the resonator's 5.44 GHz resonant frequency, we have measured the spectrum, lifetime ($T_{1}$), Rabi, and Ramsey oscillations of the CPB at the charge degeneracy point while the CPB was detuned by up to 2.5 GHz . We find a maximum lifetime of the CPB was $T_{1} = 200\ μ$s for $f = 4$ to 4.5 GHz. Our measured $T_{1}$'s are consistent with loss due to coupling to the transmission line, spurious microwave circuit resonances, and a background decay rate on the order of $5\times 10^{3}$ s$^{-1}$ of unknown origin, implying that the loss tangent in the AlO$_{x}$ junction barrier must be less than about $4\times 10^{-8}$ at 4.5 GHz, about 4 orders of magnitude less than reported in larger area Al/AlO$_{x}$/Al tunnel junctions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Characterization of an entangled system of two superconducting qubits using a multiplexed capacitance readout

We characterize a pair of Cooper-pair boxes coupled with a fixed capacitor using spectroscopy and measurements of the ground-state quantum capacitance. We use the extracted parameters to estimate the concurrence, or degree of entanglement between the two qubits. We also present a thorough demonstration of a multiplexed quantum capacitance measurement technique, which is in principle scalable to a large array of superconducting qubits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Anomalous avoided level crossings in a Cooper-pair box spectrum

We have observed a few distinct anomalous avoided level crossings and voltage dependent transitions in the excited state spectrum of an Al/AlOx/Al Cooper-pair box (CPB). The device was measured at 40 mK in the 15 - 50 GHz frequency range. We find that a given level crosses the CPB spectrum at two different gate voltages; the frequency and splitting size of the two crossings differ and the splitting size depends on the Josephson energy of the CPB. We show that this behavior is not only consistent with the CPB being coupled to discrete charged "two-level" quantum systems which move atomic distances in the CPB junctions but that the spectra provide new information about the fluctuators, which is not available from phase qubit spectra of anomalous avoided levels. In particular by fitting a model Hamiltonian to our data, we extract microscopic parameters for each fluctuator, including well asymmetry, tunneling amplitude, and the minimum hopping distance for each fluctuator. The tunneling rates range from less than 3.5 to 13 GHz, which represent values between 5% and 150% of the well asymmetry, and the dipole moments give a minimum hopping distance of 0.3 to 0.8 Anstrom. We have also found that these discrete two-level systems have a pronounced effect on the relaxation time (T1) of the quantum states of the CPB and hence can be a source of dissipation for superconducting quantum bits.

cond-mat.supr-con↗