Overcoming dephasing noise with robust optimal control

The recent decade has witnessed substantial advancements in silicon quantum computing. Important milestones include demonstrations of quantum gates exceeding the fault-tolerance threshold, high-fidelity single-shot spin readout, hot quantum bits (hot qubits), and compact scalable spin arrays. Silicon qubits hold promise to leverage semiconductor industry technologies into scalable qubit manufacturing. Both the academic and industry communities are striving to push this advantage into reality. However, formidable challenges persist in the quest to develop a fully operational universal quantum computer. This review focuses on single-spin qubits in silicon. First, we start with foundational spin qubit theory. Then, we discuss gate-defined quantum dots and donor dot systems, with a particular emphasis on two-qubit gate operations and the scalability of qubit arrays. Lastly, we address long-distance coupling, highlighting key areas for future research and potential scale-up strategies for this rapidly evolving field.

Recent progress in atomistic modelling and simulations of donor spin qubits in silicon

Donor electron spin qubits hosted within nanoscale devices have demonstrated seconds-long relaxation times at magnetic fields suitable for the operation of spin qubits in silicon of $B=1.5\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{T}$. The relaxation rates of these qubits have been shown at milliKelvin temperatures to be mediated by spin-orbit coupling with a ${B}^{5}$ dependency on magnetic field for $B>3\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{T}$ with a transition to a ${B}^{3}$ dependency at magnetic fields below ($B\ensuremath{\le}3\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{T}$). This deviation has been observed in many spin qubit systems but is particularly notable in multidonor quantum dot qubits. The reason for this has remained a mystery. In this paper we show that for these multidonor low noise, crystalline qubits this deviation at low magnetic fields can be explained by a hyperfine mediated relaxation mechanism of the electron spin through a quantitative model of the relaxation rates. This model identifies the importance of donor nuclear spin flips which are more apparent in multidonor systems in which the larger numbers of donor nuclei creates stronger confinement potentials and enhanced hyperfine couplings. We show theoretically that with atomic precision engineering of the locations of the donor nuclei in these multidonor quantum dot qubits, and/or nuclear spin control, we can minimize the hyperfine mediated relaxation allowing ${T}_{1}$ to extend to $\ensuremath{\sim}200$ seconds ($B=1.5\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{T}$).

Real-time sensing of (spin-dependent) single-electron tunneling is fundamental to electrical readout of qubit states in spin quantum computing. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of detecting such single-electron tunneling events using an atomically planar charge sensing layout, which can be readily integrated in scalable quantum computing architectures with phosphorus-donor-based spin qubits in silicon (Si:P). Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) lithography on a Si(001) surface, we patterned a single-electron transistor (SET), both tunnel and electrostatically coupled to a coplanar ultrasmall quantum dot, the latter consisting of approximately four P donors. Charge transitions of the quantum dot could be detected both in time-averaged and single-shot current response of the SET. Single electron tunneling between the quantum dot and the SET island on a time-scale (τ ∼ ms) two-orders-of-magnitude faster than the spin-lattice relaxation time of a P donor in Si makes this device geometry suitable for projective readout of Si:P spin qubits. Crucial to scalability is the ability to reproducibly achieve sufficient electron tunnel rates and charge sensitivity of the SET. The inherent atomic-scale control of STM lithography bodes extremely well to precisely optimize both of these parameters.

We investigate the effect of the valley degree of freedom on Pauli-spin blockade readout of spin qubits in silicon. The valley splitting energy sets the singlet-triplet splitting and thereby constrains the detuning range. The valley phase difference controls the relative strength of the intra- and inter-valley tunnel couplings, which, in the proposed Pauli-spin blockade readout scheme, couple singlets and polarized triplets, respectively. We find that high-fidelity readout is possible for a wide range of phase differences, while taking into account experimentally observed valley splittings and tunnel couplings. We also show that the control of the valley splitting together with the optimization of the readout detuning can compensate the effect of the valley phase difference. To increase the measurement fidelity and extend the relaxation time we propose a latching protocol that requires a triple quantum dot and exploits weak long-range tunnel coupling. These opportunities are promising for scaling spin qubit systems and improving qubit readout fidelity

Fault-tolerant quantum computers that can solve hard problems rely on quantum error correction1. One of the most promising error correction codes is the surface code2, which requires universal gate fidelities exceeding an error correction threshold of 99 per cent3. Among the many qubit platforms, only superconducting circuits4, trapped ions5 and nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond6 have delivered this requirement. Electron spin qubits in silicon7-15 are particularly promising for a large-scale quantum computer owing to their nanofabrication capability, but the two-qubit gate fidelity has been limited to 98 per cent owing to the slow operation16. Here we demonstrate a two-qubit gate fidelity of 99.5 per cent, along with single-qubit gate fidelities of 99.8 per cent, in silicon spin qubits by fast electrical control using a micromagnet-induced gradient field and a tunable two-qubit coupling. We identify the qubit rotation speed and coupling strength where we robustly achieve high-fidelity gates. We realize Deutsch-Jozsa and Grover search algorithms with high success rates using our universal gate set. Our results demonstrate universal gate fidelity beyond the fault-tolerance threshold and may enable scalable silicon quantum computers.

Shuttling spins with high fidelity is a key requirement to scale up semiconducting quantum computers, enabling qubit entanglement over large distances and favoring the integration of control electronics on-chip. To decouple the spin from the unavoidable charge noise, state-of-the-art spin shuttlers try to minimize the inhomogeneity of the Zeeman field. However, this decoupling is challenging in otherwise promising quantum computing platforms such as hole spin qubits in silicon and germanium, characterized by a large spin-orbit interaction and an electrically tunable qubit frequency. In this work, we show that, surprisingly, the large inhomogeneity of the Zeeman field stabilizes the coherence of a moving spin state, thus also enabling high-fidelity shuttling in these systems. We relate this enhancement in fidelity to the deterministic dynamics of the spin that filters out the dominant low-frequency contributions of the charge noise. By simulating several different scenarios and noise sources, we show that this is a robust phenomenon generally occurring at large field inhomogeneity. By appropriately adjusting the motion of the quantum dot, we also design realistic protocols enabling faster and more coherent spin shuttling. Our findings are generally applicable to a wide range of setups and could pave the way toward large-scale quantum processors. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Spin qubits in silicon are strong contenders for the realization of a practical quantum computer, having demonstrated single- and two-qubit gates with fidelities above the fault-tolerant threshold, and entanglement of three qubits. However, maintaining high-fidelity operations while increasing the qubit count remains challenging and therefore only two-qubit algorithms have been executed. Here we utilize a four-qubit silicon processor with all control fidelities above the fault-tolerant threshold and demonstrate a three-qubit Grover’s search algorithm with a ~95% probability of finding the marked state. Our processor is made of three phosphorus atoms precision-patterned into isotopically pure silicon, which localise one electron. The long coherence times of the qubits enable single-qubit fidelities above 99.9% for all qubits. Moreover, the efficient single-pulse multi-qubit operations enabled by the electron–nuclear hyperfine interaction facilitate controlled-Z gates between all pairs of nuclear spins with fidelities above 99% when using the electron as an ancilla. These control fidelities, combined with high-fidelity non-demolition readout of all nuclear spins, allow the creation of a three-qubit Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger state with 96.2% fidelity. Looking ahead, coupling neighbouring nuclear spin registers, as the one shown here, via electron–electron exchange may enable larger, fault-tolerant quantum processors.

We investigate a hybrid quantum system consisting of spatially separated resonant exchange qubits, defined in three-electron semiconductor triple quantum dots, that are coupled via a superconducting transmission line resonator. Drawing on methods from circuit quantum electrodynamics and Hartmann-Hahn double resonance techniques, we analyze three specific approaches for implementing resonator-mediated two-qubit entangling gates in both dispersive and resonant regimes of interaction. We calculate entangling gate fidelities as well as the rate of relaxation via phonons for resonant exchange qubits in silicon triple dots and show that such an implementation is particularly well-suited to achieving the strong coupling regime. Our approach combines the favorable coherence properties of encoded spin qubits in silicon with the rapid and robust long-range entanglement provided by circuit QED systems.

High-fidelity quantum gates are crucial for achieving fault-tolerant quantum computing; however, decoherence significantly reduces gate fidelities during long operation times. Although optimal control techniques can theoretically minimize these operation times, they often neglect realistic uncertainties in system parameters. In this work, we demonstrate that by using robust optimal control strategies, the cross-resonance gate in superconducting systems can be operated within 64 ns, achieving fidelities of [Formula: see text] while maintaining robustness against up to 10% uncertainty in a single parameter. Alternatively, by extending the control time to 71 ns, we achieve fidelities of [Formula: see text] with robustness against up to 3% uncertainty. Our results identify the minimal control times attainable with experimentally feasible pulses and system parameters, as well as the maximum allowable static parameter error for high-fidelity operations. Furthermore, we demonstrate simultaneous robustness against both static and time-dependent errors by generating 100 ns control pulses ([Formula: see text]) that maintain robustness against 10% static parameter error and time-dependent parameter fluctuations two orders of magnitude stronger than typical experimental noise. These findings demonstrate a viable open-loop strategy for implementing fast, high-fidelity quantum gates in the presence of realistic system uncertainties that would otherwise degrade conventional control pulses.

Phosphorus donor impurities in silicon are a promising candidate for solid-state quantum computing due to their exceptionally long coherence times and high fidelities. However, individual addressability of exchange coupled donors with separations ~15 nm is challenging. We show that by using atomic precision lithography, we can place a single P donor next to a 2P molecule 16 ± 1 nm apart and use their distinctive hyperfine coupling strengths to address qubits at vastly different resonance frequencies. In particular, the single donor yields two hyperfine peaks separated by 97 ± 2.5 MHz, in contrast to the donor molecule that exhibits three peaks separated by 262 ± 10 MHz. Atomistic tight-binding simulations confirm the large hyperfine interaction strength in the 2P molecule with an interdonor separation of ~0.7 nm, consistent with lithographic scanning tunneling microscopy images of the 2P site during device fabrication. We discuss the viability of using donor molecules for built-in addressability of electron spin qubits in silicon.

In this paper, the problem of the robust optimal control (ROC) for a class of nonlinear systems with uncertainties and external disturbances is studied. For this purpose, the State Dependent Riccati Equation (SDRE) is considered as a solution of the ROC. The proposed method is to transform a robust control problem into an optimal control problem, where the uncertainties and disturbances are reflected in the performance index. Hence, the performance index is selected as an energy function and using the proposed constraints in this paper the Lyapunov stability for this class of nonlinear systems is proved and the robust optimal controller is designed. In order to illustrate the high capability of the ROC method in optimal control of complex systems such as Hyper-chaotic system, the time response of state variables in the proposed method and the Global Robust Optimal Sliding Mode Control (GROSMC) method are compared together. The simulation results show that the time response of state variables in the ROC method is more sufficient than the GROSMC method.

Quantum computation requires high-fidelity single-qubit and two-qubit gates on a scalable platform. Silicon spin qubits are a promising platform toward realization of this goal. In this paper we show how to perform single-qubit and controlled-Z (cz) gates in a linear chain of three spin qubits with always-on exchange coupling, which is relevant for certain dot- and donor-based silicon devices. We also show how to make the cz gate robust against both charge noise and pulse length error using a two-tone pulse shaping method. The robust pulse maintains a fidelity of 99.99% at 3.5% fluctuations in exchange or pulse amplitude, which is an improvement over the uncorrected pulses where this fidelity can only be maintained for fluctuations in exchange up to 2% or up to 0.2% in amplitude.

We demonstrate that exciting possible realizations of quantum Floquet matter are within reach for modern silicon spin qubits based in quantum dots, most notably the discrete time crystal (DTC). This is significant given that spin qubits have fallen behind other qubit architectures in terms of size and control. However, silicon spin qubits are especially well suited to this task as the charge noise that usually foils gate operations can now be leveraged as an asset in this time-crystal realization. We illustrate differences between prethermal phenomena and true time-crystalline spatiotemporal order. We demonstrate that even for a spin chain of four qubits, rich regime structures can be established by observing signatures of the discrete time crystal and the Floquet symmetry-protected topological regime both distinct from the thermal regime. We also analyze the persistence of these signatures at longer chain lengths, showing that the DTC lifetime grows exponentially with the system length and that these signatures may even be detectable for chains as small as three qubits. We also discuss the effects of longer pulse durations and the effectiveness of pulse sequences for converting the exchange interaction to an Ising model. Our theoretical predictions are well suited for immediate experimental implementations using currently existing quantum dot spin qubit systems.

Silicon spin qubits offer a key advantage in scalability due to their compatibility with CMOS technology, making them well-suited for large-scale quantum computers. However, as the number of silicon spin qubits increases, wiring complexity within a dilution refrigerator becomes a significant challenge, along with the increased thermal load from external control systems. To mitigate these issues, we are developing CMOS analog circuits operating at cryogenic temperatures which generate qubit control signals directly inside the refrigerator. This paper introduces cryogenic digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for biasing spin qubits and acquiring their environmental data, respectively, with a focus on low power consumption and small area to meet space and power budget within the refrigerator. The cryogenic DAC design effectively utilizes specific transistor characteristics, such as reduced leakage current and thermal noise at cryogenic temperatures. This DAC achieves 11-bit resolution with small area, enabling the integration of 50 channels on a single chip, thanks to an area-efficient capacitor mismatch calibration technique. To achieve further accurate control of spin qubits, a cryogenic ADC is designed for environmental signal acquisition near qubits. The ADC successfully digitizes the pulse signals with 11-bit resolution and 35 μW of power consumption at a deep cryogenic temperature of 100 mK.