arXiv subjects

Vivien Schmitt

Publications and source records attributed to Vivien Schmitt.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Andreev-enhanced conductance quantization and gate-tunable induced superconducting gap in germanium

Ge/SiGe quantum well heterostructures confining a high-mobility two-dimensional hole gas (2DHG) have emerged as a compelling platform for hybrid superconductor(S)-semiconductor(Sm) quantum devices. Here, we investigate the low-temperature transport properties of split-gate quantum point contacts (QPC) defined in one such heterostructure and positioned at different distances from an aluminum superconducting contact. We observe ballistic one-dimensional transport evidenced by conductance quantization with at least four clearly visible plateaus. Andreev reflection at the S/Sm interface induces a 40% enhancement of the conductance steps relative to the normal-state conductance staircase measured under a 100-mT out-of-plane magnetic field. This result is in excellent agreement with the theoretical expectation for an interface transparency of 0.88. By operating the QPCs in the tunneling regime, we probe the local density of states of the proximitized 2DHG. We report direct experimental evidence of an induced superconducting gap, demonstrating that its magnitude can be tuned by a gate voltage acting on the carrier density in the 2DHG.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Gatemon qubit on a germanium quantum-well heterostructure

Gatemons are superconducting qubits resembling transmons, with a gate-tunable semiconducting weak link as the Josephson element. Here, we report a gatemon device featuring an aluminum microwave circuit on a Ge/SiGe heterostructure embedding a Ge quantum well. Owing to the superconducting proximity effect, the high-mobility two-dimensional hole gas confined in this well provides a gate-tunable superconducting weak link between two Al contacts. We perform Rabi oscillation and Ramsey interference measurements, demonstrate the gate-voltage dependence of the qubit frequency, and measure the qubit anharmonicity. We find relaxation times T$_{1}$ up to 119 ns, and Ramsey coherence times T$^{*}_{2}$ up to 70 ns, and a qubit frequency gate-tunable over 3.5 GHz. The reported proof-of-concept reproduces the results of a very recent work [Sagi et al., Nat. Commun. 15, 6400 (2024)] using similar Ge/SiGe heterostructures thereby validating a novel platform for the development of gatemons and parity-protected cos(2$ϕ$) qubits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Optimal operation of hole spin qubits

Hole spins in silicon or germanium quantum dots have emerged as a compelling solid-state platform for scalable quantum processors. Besides relying on well-established manufacturing technologies, hole-spin qubits feature fast, electric-field-mediated control stemming from their intrinsically large spin-orbit coupling [1, 2]. This key feature is accompanied by an undesirable susceptibility to charge noise, which usually limits qubit coherence. Here, by varying the magnetic-field orientation, we experimentally establish the existence of ``sweetlines'' in the polar-azimuthal manifold where the qubit is insensitive to charge noise. In agreement with recent predictions [3], we find that the observed sweetlines host the points of maximal driving efficiency, where we achieve fast Rabi oscillations with quality factors as high as 1200. Furthermore, we demonstrate that moderate adjustments in gate voltages can significantly shift the sweetlines. This tunability allows multiple qubits to be simultaneously made insensitive to electrical noise, paving the way for scalable qubit architectures that fully leverage all-electrical spin control. The conclusions of this experimental study, performed on a silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor device, are expected to apply to other implementations of hole spin qubits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Parametric longitudinal coupling of a semiconductor charge qubit and a RF resonator

In this study, we provide a full experimental characterization of the parametric longitudinal coupling between a CMOS charge qubit and an off-chip RF resonator. Following Corrigan et al, Phys. Rev. Applied 20, 064005 (2023), we activate parametric longitudinal coupling by driving the charge qubit at the resonator frequency. Managing the crosstalk between the drive applied to the qubit and the resonator allows for the systematic study of the dependence of the longitudinal and dispersive charge-photon couplings on the qubit-resonator detuning and the applied drive. Our experimental estimations of the charge-photon couplings are perfectly reproduced by theoretical simple formulas, without relying on any fitting parameter. We go further by showing a parametric displacement of the resonator's steady state, conditional on the qubit state, and the insensitivity of the longitudinal coupling constant on the photon population of the resonator. Our results open to the exploration of the photon-mediated longitudinal readout and coupling of multiple and distant spins, with long coherent times, in hybrid CMOS cQED architectures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Real-time milli-Kelvin thermometry in a semiconductor qubit architecture

We report local time-resolved thermometry in a silicon nanowire quantum dot device designed to host a linear array of spin qubits. Using two alternative measurement schemes based on rf reflectometry, we are able to probe either local electron or phonon temperatures with $μ$s-scale time resolution and a noise equivalent temperature of $3$ $\rm mK/\sqrt{\rm Hz}$. Following the application of short microwave pulses, causing local periodic heating, time-dependent thermometry can track the dynamics of thermal excitation and relaxation, revealing clearly different characteristic time scales. This work opens important prospects to investigate the out-of-equilibrium thermal properties of semiconductor quantum electronic devices operating at very low temperature. In particular, it may provide a powerful handle to understand heating effects recently observed in semiconductor spin-qubit systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Gate- and flux-tunable sin(2$φ$) Josephson element with proximitized Ge-based junctions

Hybrid superconductor-semiconductor Josephson field-effect transistors (JoFETs) function as Josephson junctions with a gate-tunable critical current. Additionally, they can feature a non-sinusoidal current-phase relation (CPR) containing multiple harmonics of the superconducting phase difference, a so-far underutilized property. In this work, we exploit this multi-harmonicity to create a Josephson circuit element with an almost perfectly $π$-periodic CPR, indicative of a largely dominant charge-4e supercurrent transport. Such a Josephson element was recently proposed as the basic building block of a protected superconducting qubit. Here, it is realized using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) with low-inductance aluminum arms and two nominally identical JoFETs. The latter are fabricated from a SiGe/Ge/SiGe quantum-well heterostructure embedding a high-mobility two-dimensional hole gas. By carefully adjusting the JoFET gate voltages and finely tuning the magnetic flux through the SQUID close to half a flux quantum, we achieve a regime where the $\sin(2φ)$ component accounts for more than \SI{95}{\percent} of the total supercurrent. This result demonstrates a new promising route for the realization of superconducting qubits with enhanced coherence properties.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Geometry of the dephasing sweet spots of spin-orbit qubits

The dephasing time of spin-orbit qubits is limited by the coupling with electrical and charge noise. However, there may exist "dephasing sweet spots" where the qubit decouples (to first order) from the noise so that the dephasing time reaches a maximum. Here we discuss the nature of the dephasing sweet spots of a spin-orbit qubit electrically coupled to some fluctuator. We characterize the Zeeman energy $E_\mathrm{Z}$ of this qubit by the tensor $G$ such that $E_\mathrm{Z}=μ_B\sqrt{\vec{B}^\mathrm{T}G\vec{B}}$ (with $μ_B$ the Bohr magneton and $\vec{B}$ the magnetic field), and its response to the fluctuator by the derivative $G^\prime$ of $G$ with respect to the fluctuating field. The geometrical nature of the sweet spots on the unit sphere describing the magnetic field orientation depends on the sign of the eigenvalues of $G^\prime$. We show that sweet spots usually draw lines on this sphere. We then discuss how to characterize the electrical susceptibility of a spin-orbit qubit with test modulations on the gates. We apply these considerations to a Ge/GeSi spin qubit heterostructure, and discuss the prospects for the engineering of sweet spots.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

From nonreciprocal to charge-4e supercurrents in Ge-based Josephson devices with tunable harmonic content

Hybrid superconductor(S)-semiconductor(Sm) devices bring a range of new functionalities into superconducting circuits. In particular, hybrid parity-protected qubits and Josephson diodes were recently proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Such devices leverage the non-sinusoidal character of the Josephson current-phase relation (CPR) in highly transparent S-Sm-S junctions. Here we report an experimental study of superconducting quantum-interference devices (SQUIDs) embedding Josephson field-effect transistors fabricated from a SiGe/Ge/SiGe heterostructure grown on a 200-mm silicon wafer. The single-junction CPR shows up to three harmonics with gate tunable amplitude. In the presence of microwave irradiation, the ratio of the first two dominant harmonics, corresponding to single and double Cooper-pair transport processes, is consistently reflected in relative weight of integer and half-integer Shapiro steps. A combination of magnetic-flux and gate-voltage control enables tuning the SQUID functionality from a nonreciprocal Josephson-diode regime with 27% asymmetry to a $π$-periodic Josephson regime suitable for the implementation of parity-protected superconducting qubits. These results illustrate the potential of Ge-based hybrid devices as versatile and scalable building blocks of novel superconducting quantum circuits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Scalable Atomic Arrays for Spin-Based Quantum Computers in Silicon

Semiconductor spin qubits combine excellent quantum performance with the prospect of manufacturing quantum devices using industry-standard metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) processes. This applies also to ion-implanted donor spins, which further afford exceptional coherence times and large Hilbert space dimension in their nuclear spin. Here we demonstrate and integrate multiple strategies to manufacture scale-up donor-based quantum computers. We use $^{31}$PF$_{2}$ molecule implants to triple the placement certainty compared to $^{31}$P ions, while attaining 99.99$\,$% confidence in detecting the implant. Similar confidence is retained by implanting heavier atoms such as $^{123}$Sb and $^{209}$Bi, which represent high-dimensional qudits for quantum information processing, while Sb$_2$ molecules enable deterministic formation of closely-spaced qudits. We demonstrate the deterministic formation of regular arrays of donor atoms with 300$\,$nm spacing, using step-and-repeat implantation through a nano aperture. These methods cover the full gamut of technological requirements for the construction of donor-based quantum computers in silicon.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Near-Surface Electrical Characterisation of Silicon Electronic Devices Using Focused keV Ions

The demonstration of universal quantum logic operations near the fault-tolerance threshold establishes ion-implanted near-surface donor atoms as a plausible platform for scalable quantum computing in silicon. The next technological step forward requires a deterministic fabrication method to create large-scale arrays of donors, featuring few hundred nanometre inter-donor spacing. Here, we explore the feasibility of this approach by implanting low-energy ions into silicon devices featuring an enlarged 60x60 $μ$m sensitive area and an ultra-thin 3.2 nm gate oxide - capable of hosting large-scale donor arrays. By combining a focused ion beam system incorporating an electron-beam-ion-source with in-vacuum ultra-low noise ion detection electronics, we first demonstrate a versatile method to spatially map the device response characteristics to shallowly implanted 12 keV $^1$H$_2^+$ ions. Despite the weak internal electric field, near-unity charge collection efficiency is obtained from the entire sensitive area. This can be explained by the critical role that the high-quality thermal gate oxide plays in the ion detection response, allowing an initial rapid diffusion of ion induced charge away from the implant site. Next, we adapt our approach to perform deterministic implantation of a few thousand 24 keV $^{40}$Ar$^{2+}$ ions into a predefined micro-volume, without any additional collimation. Despite the reduced ionisation from the heavier ion species, a fluence-independent detection confidence of $\geq$99.99% was obtained. Our system thus represents not only a new method for mapping the near-surface electrical landscape of electronic devices, but also an attractive framework towards mask-free prototyping of large-scale donor arrays in silicon.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Precision tomography of a three-qubit donor quantum processor in silicon

Nuclear spins were among the first physical platforms to be considered for quantum information processing, because of their exceptional quantum coherence and atomic-scale footprint. However, their full potential for quantum computing has not yet been realized, due to the lack of methods to link nuclear qubits within a scalable device combined with multi-qubit operations with sufficient fidelity to sustain fault-tolerant quantum computation. Here we demonstrate universal quantum logic operations using a pair of ion-implanted 31P donor nuclei in a silicon nanoelectronic device. A nuclear two-qubit controlled-Z gate is obtained by imparting a geometric phase to a shared electron spin, and used to prepare entangled Bell states with fidelities up to 94.2(2.7)%. The quantum operations are precisely characterised using gate set tomography (GST), yielding one-qubit average gate fidelities up to 99.95(2)%, two-qubit average gate fidelity of 99.37(11)% and two-qubit preparation/measurement fidelities of 98.95(4)%. These three metrics indicate that nuclear spins in silicon are approaching the performance demanded in fault-tolerant quantum processors. We then demonstrate entanglement between the two nuclei and the shared electron by producing a Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger three-qubit state with 92.5(1.0)% fidelity. Since electron spin qubits in semiconductors can be further coupled to other electrons or physically shuttled across different locations, these results establish a viable route for scalable quantum information processing using donor nuclear and electron spins.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Deterministic Single Ion Implantation with 99.87% Confidence for Scalable Donor-Qubit Arrays in Silicon

The attributes of group-V-donor spins implanted in an isotopically purified $^{28}$Si crystal make them attractive qubits for large-scale quantum computer devices. Important features include long nuclear and electron spin lifetimes of $^{31}$P, hyperfine clock transitions in $^{209}$Bi and electrically controllable $^{123}$Sb nuclear spins. However, architectures for scalable quantum devices require the ability to fabricate deterministic arrays of individual donor atoms, placed with sufficient precision to enable high-fidelity quantum operations. Here we employ on-chip electrodes with charge-sensitive electronics to demonstrate the implantation of single low-energy (14 keV) P$^+$ ions with an unprecedented $99.87\pm0.02$% confidence, while operating close to room-temperature. This permits integration with an atomic force microscope equipped with a scanning-probe ion aperture to address the critical issue of directing the implanted ions to precise locations. These results show that deterministic single-ion implantation can be a viable pathway for manufacturing large-scale donor arrays for quantum computation and other applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Coherent electrical control of a single high-spin nucleus in silicon

Nuclear spins are highly coherent quantum objects. In large ensembles, their control and detection via magnetic resonance is widely exploited, e.g. in chemistry, medicine, materials science and mining. Nuclear spins also featured in early ideas and demonstrations of quantum information processing. Scaling up these ideas requires controlling individual nuclei, which can be detected when coupled to an electron. However, the need to address the nuclei via oscillating magnetic fields complicates their integration in multi-spin nanoscale devices, because the field cannot be localized or screened. Control via electric fields would resolve this problem, but previous methods relied upon transducing electric signals into magnetic fields via the electron-nuclear hyperfine interaction, which severely affects the nuclear coherence. Here we demonstrate the coherent quantum control of a single antimony (spin-7/2) nucleus, using localized electric fields produced within a silicon nanoelectronic device. The method exploits an idea first proposed in 1961 but never realized experimentally with a single nucleus. Our results are quantitatively supported by a microscopic theoretical model that reveals how the purely electrical modulation of the nuclear electric quadrupole interaction, in the presence of lattice strain, results in coherent nuclear spin transitions. The spin dephasing time, 0.1 seconds, surpasses by orders of magnitude those obtained via methods that require a coupled electron spin for electrical drive. These results show that high-spin quadrupolar nuclei could be deployed as chaotic models, strain sensors and hybrid spin-mechanical quantum systems using all-electrical controls. Integrating electrically controllable nuclei with quantum dots could pave the way to scalable nuclear- and electron-spin-based quantum computers in silicon that operate without the need for oscillating magnetic fields.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Silicon quantum processor with robust long-distance qubit couplings

Practical quantum computers require the construction of a large network of highly coherent qubits, interconnected in a design robust against errors. Donor spins in silicon provide state-of-the-art coherence and quantum gate fidelities, in a physical platform adapted from industrial semiconductor processing. Here we present a scalable design for a silicon quantum processor that does not require precise donor placement and allows hundreds of nanometers inter-qubit distances, therefore facilitating fabrication using current technology. All qubit operations are performed via electrical means on the electron-nuclear spin states of a phosphorus donor. Single-qubit gates use low power electric drive at microwave frequencies, while fast two-qubit gates exploit electric dipole-dipole interactions. Microwave resonators allow for millimeter-distance entanglement and interfacing with photonic links. Sweet spots protect the qubits from charge noise up to second order, implying that all operations can be performed with error rates below quantum error correction thresholds, even without any active noise cancellation technique.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Manipulating Fock states of a harmonic oscillator while preserving its linearity

We present a new scheme for controlling the quantum state of a harmonic oscillator by coupling it to an anharmonic multilevel system (MLS) with first to second excited state transition frequency on-resonance with the oscillator. In this scheme that we call "ef-resonant", the spurious oscillator Kerr non-linearity inherited from the MLS is very small, while its Fock states can still be selectively addressed via an MLS transition at a frequency that depends on the number of photons. We implement this concept in a circuit-QED setup with a microwave 3D cavity (the oscillator, with frequency 6.4 GHz and quality factor QO=2E-6) embedding a frequency tunable transmon qubit (the MLS). We characterize the system spectroscopically and demonstrate selective addressing of Fock states and a Kerr non-linearity below 350 Hz. At times much longer than the transmon coherence times, a non-linear cavity response with driving power is also observed and explained.

quant-ph↗