Loss and decoherence in superconducting circuits on silicon: Insights from electron spin resonance

Solid-state devices used for quantum computation and quantum sensing applications are adversely affected by loss and noise caused by spurious, charged two-level systems (TLS) and stray paramagnetic spins. These two sources of noise are interconnected, exacerbating the impact on circuit performance. We use an on-chip electron spin resonance (ESR) technique, with niobium nitride (NbN) superconducting resonators, to study surface spins on silicon and the effect of post-fabrication surface treatments. We identify two distinct spin species that are characterized by different spin-relaxation times and respond selectively to various surface treatments (annealing and hydrofluoric acid). Only one of the two spin species has a significant impact on the TLS-limited resonator quality factor at low-power (near single-photon) excitation. We observe a 3-to-5-fold reduction in the total density of spins after surface treatments, and demonstrate the efficacy of ESR spectroscopy in developing strategies to mitigate loss and decoherence in quantum systems.