David J. Niegemann

Spins in semiconductor quantum dots hold great promise as building blocks of quantum processors. Trapping them in Si MOS transistorlike devices eases future industrial-scale fabrication. Among the potentially scalable readout solutions, gate-based dispersive radio-frequency reflectometry only requires the already existing transistor gates to read a quantum dot state, which alleviates the need for additional elements. In this effort toward scalability, traveling-wave superconducting parametric amplifiers significantly enhance the readout signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by reducing the noise below that of typical cryogenic low-noise amplifiers, while offering a broad amplification band, essential to multiplex the readout of multiple resonators. In this work, we demonstrate a 3-GHz gate-based reflectometry readout of electron charge states trapped in quantum dots formed in Si MOS multigate devices, with SNR enhanced due to a Josephson traveling-wave parametric amplifier (JTWPA). The broad tunable 2-GHz amplification bandwidth combined with more than 10-dB ON-OFF SNR improvement of the JTWPA enables frequency and time-division-multiplexed readout of interdot transitions, and noise performance consistent with JTWPA characteristics at higher frequencies. In addition, owing to a design without superconducting loops and with a metallic ground plane, the JTWPA is flux insensitive and shows stable performance up to a magnetic field of 1.1 T at the quantum dot device, compatible with standard Si MOS spin-qubit experiments.

Pauli-spin-blockade (PSB) measurements have so far achieved the highest fidelity of spin readout in semiconductor quantum dots, overcoming the 99% threshold. Moreover, in contrast to energy-selective readout, PSB is less error prone to thermal energy, an important feature for large-scale architectures that could be operated at temperatures above a few hundreds of millikelvins. In this work, we use rf reflectometry on a single-lead quantum dot to perform charge sensing and to probe the spin state of a double quantum dot at 0.5 K. At this relatively elevated temperature, we characterize both singlet-triplet and parity readout, which are complementary measurements to perform a complete readout of a two-spin system. We demonstrate high-fidelity spin readout with an average fidelity above 99.9 % for a readout time of 20 µs and 99 % for 4 µs. Finally, we succeed in initializing a singlet state in a single dot with a fidelity higher than 99 % and separate the two electrons while retaining the same spin state with a 95.6 % fidelity.

The recent development of arrays of quantum dots in semiconductor nanostructures highlights the progress of quantum devices toward a large scale. However, how to realize such arrays on a scalable platform such as silicon is still an open question. One of the main challenges lies in the detection of charges within the array. It is a prerequisite to initialize a desired charge state and read out spins through spin-to-charge conversion mechanisms. In this work, we use two methods based on either a single-lead charge detector or a reprogrammable single-electron transistor. By these methods, we study the charge dynamics and sensitivity by performing single-shot detection of the charge. Finally, we can probe the charge stability at any node of a linear array and assess the Coulomb disorder in the structure. We find an electrochemical potential fluctuation induced by charge noise comparable to that reported in other silicon quantum dots.