We present a dry surface treatment combining atomic layer etching and deposition (ALE and ALD) to mitigate dielectric loss in fully fabricated superconducting quantum devices formedfrom aluminum thin films on silicon. The treatment, performed as a final processing step prior to device packaging, starts by conformally removing the native metal oxide and fabrication residues from the exposed surfaces through ALE before \textit{in situ} encapsulating the metal surfaces with a thin dielectric layer using ALD. We measure a two-fold reduction in loss attributed to two-level system (TLS) absorption in treated aluminum-based resonators and planar transmon qubits. Treated transmons with compact capacitor plates and gaps achieve median Q and T1 values of 3.69±0.42×106 and 196±22~μs, respectively. These improvements were found to be sustained over several months. We discuss how the combination of ALE and ALD reverses fabrication-induced surface damages to significantly and durably improve device performance via a reduction of the TLS defect density in the capacitive elements.
Two-level systems (TLS) are known to be a dominant source of dissipation and decoherence in superconducting qubits. Superconducting resonators provide a convenient way to study TLS-inducedloss due to easier design and fabrication in comparison to devices that include non-linear elements. However, accurately measuring TLS-induced loss in a resonator in the quantum regime is challenging due to low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the temporal fluctuations of the TLS, leading to uncertainties of 30% or more. To address these limitations, we develop a multi-wave resonator device that extends the resonator length from a standard quarter-wave λ/4 to Nλ/4 where N=37 at 6GHz. This design provides two key advantages: the TLS-induced fluctuations are reduced by a factor of N‾‾√ due to spatial averaging over an increased number of independent TLS, and the measurement SNR for a given intra-resonator energy density improves by a factor of N‾‾√. The multi-wave resonator also has fundamental and harmonic resonances that allow one to study the frequency dependence of TLS-induced loss. In this work we fabricate both multi-wave and quarter-wave coplanar waveguide resonators formed from thin-film aluminum on a silicon substrate, and characterize their TLS properties at both 10mK and 200mK. Our results show that the power-dependent TLS-induced loss measured from both types of resonators agree well, with the multi-wave resonators achieving a five-fold reduction in measurement uncertainty due to TLS fluctuations, down to 5%. The Nλ/4 resonator also provides a measure of the fully unsaturated TLS-induced loss due to the improved measurement SNR at low intra-resonator energy densities. Finally, measurements across seven harmonic resonances of the Nλ/4 resonator between 4GHz – 6.5GHz reveals no frequency dependence in the TLS-induced loss over this range.
Naturally occurring background radiation is a source of correlated decoherence events in superconducting qubits that will challenge error-correction schemes. To characterize the radiationenvironment in an unshielded laboratory, we performed broadband, spectroscopic measurements of background events in silicon substrates located inside a millikelvin refrigerator, an environment representative of superconducting qubit systems. We measured the background spectra in silicon substrates of two thicknesses, 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm, and obtained the average event rate and the integrated power deposition. In a 25 mm^2 area and the thinner substrate, these values are 0.023 events per second and 4.9 keV/s, counting events that deposit at least 40 keV. We find the background spectrum to be nearly featureless. Its intensity decreases by a factor of 40,000 between 100 keV and 3 MeV for silicon substrates 0.5 mm thick. We find the cryogenic measurements to be in good agreement with predictions based on measurements of the terrestrial gamma-ray flux, published models of cosmic-ray fluxes, a crude model of the cryostat, and radiation-transport simulations. No free parameters are required to predict the background spectra in the silicon substrates. The good agreement between measurements and predictions allow assessment of the relative contributions of terrestrial and cosmic background sources and their dependence on substrate thickness. Our spectroscopic measurements are performed with superconducting microresonators that transduce deposited energy to a readily detectable electrical signal. We find that gamma-ray emissions from radioisotopes are responsible for the majority of events depositing E<1.5 MeV, while nucleons among the cosmic-ray secondary particles cause most events that deposit more energy. These results suggest several paths to reducing the impact of background radiation on quantum circuits.[/expand]
Superconducting qubits are a leading platform for scalable quantum computing and quantum error correction. One feature of this platform is the ability to perform projective measurementsorders of magnitude more quickly than qubit decoherence times. Such measurements are enabled by the use of quantum-limited parametric amplifiers in conjunction with ferrite circulators – magnetic devices which provide isolation from noise and decoherence due to amplifier backaction. Because these non-reciprocal elements have limited performance and are not easily integrated on-chip, it has been a longstanding goal to replace them with a scalable alternative. Here, we demonstrate a solution to this problem by using a superconducting switch to control the coupling between a qubit and amplifier. Doing so, we measure a transmon qubit using a single, chip-scale device to provide both parametric amplification and isolation from the bulk of amplifier backaction. This measurement is also fast, high fidelity, and has 70% efficiency, comparable to the best that has been reported in any superconducting qubit measurement. As such, this work constitutes a high-quality platform for the scalable measurement of superconducting qubits.
The performance of superconducting circuits for quantum computing is limited by materials losses. In particular, coherence times are typically bounded by two-level system (TLS) lossesat single photon powers and millikelvin temperatures. The identification of low loss fabrication techniques, materials, and thin film dielectrics is critical to achieving scalable architectures for superconducting quantum computing. Superconducting microwave resonators provide a convenient qubit proxy for assessing performance and studying TLS loss and other mechanisms relevant to superconducting circuits such as non-equilibrium quasiparticles and magnetic flux vortices. In this review article, we provide an overview of considerations for designing accurate resonator experiments to characterize loss, including applicable types of loss, cryogenic setup, device design, and methods for extracting material and interface losses, summarizing techniques that have been evolving for over two decades. Results from measurements of a wide variety of materials and processes are also summarized. Lastly, we present recommendations for the reporting of loss data from superconducting microwave resonators to facilitate materials comparisons across the field.
We present broadband parametric amplifiers based on the kinetic inductance of superconducting NbTiN thin films in an artificial (lumped-element) transmission line architecture. We demonstratetwo amplifier designs implementing different phase matching techniques: periodic impedance loadings, and resonator phase shifters placed periodically along the transmission line. Our design offers several advantages over previous CPW-based amplifiers, including intrinsic 50 ohm characteristic impedance, natural suppression of higher pump harmonics, lower required pump power, and shorter total trace length. Experimental realizations of both versions of the amplifiers are demonstrated. With a transmission line length of 20 cm, we have achieved gains of 15 dB over several GHz of bandwidth.
We have designed, fabricated and tested a frequency-tunable high-Q superconducting resonator made from a niobium titanium nitride film. The frequency tunability is achieved by injectinga DC current through a current-directing circuit into the nonlinear inductor whose kinetic inductance is current-dependent. We have demonstrated continuous tuning of the resonance frequency in a 180 MHz frequency range around 4.5 GHz while maintaining the high internal quality factor Qi>180,000. This device may serve as a tunable filter and find applications in superconducting quantum computing and measurement. It also provides a useful tool to study the nonlinear response of a superconductor. In addition, it may be developed into techniques for measurement of the complex impedance of a superconductor at its transition temperature and for readout of transition-edge sensors.
Superconducting parametric amplifiers have great promise for quantum-limited readout of superconducting qubits and detectors. Until recently, most superconducting parametric amplifiershad been based on resonant structures, limiting their bandwidth and dynamic range. Broadband traveling-wave parametric amplifiers based both on the nonlinear kinetic inductance of superconducting thin films and on Josephson junctions are in development. By modifying the dispersion property of the amplifier circuit, referred to as dispersion engineering, the gain can be greatly enhanced and the size can be reduced. We present two theoretical frameworks for analyzing and understanding such parametric amplifiers: (1) generalized coupled-mode equations and (2) a finite difference time domain (FDTD) model combined with a small signal analysis. We show how these analytical and numerical tools may be used to understand device performance.
We present a superconducting qubit design that is fabricated in a 2D geometry
over a superconducting ground plane to enhance the lifetime. The qubit is
coupled to a microstrip resonatorfor readout. The circuit is fabricated on a
silicon substrate using low loss, stoichiometric titanium nitride for capacitor
pads and small, shadow-evaporated aluminum/aluminum-oxide junctions. We observe
qubit relaxation and coherence times ($T_1$ and $T_2$) of 11.7 $pm$ 0.2 $mu$s
and 8.7 $pm$ 0.3 $mu$s, respectively. Calculations show that the proximity of
the superconducting plane suppresses the otherwise high radiation loss of the
qubit. A significant increase in $T_1$ is projected for a reduced
qubit-to-superconducting plane separation.