Probing single electrons across 300-mm spin qubit wafers.

Building a fault-tolerant quantum computer will require vast numbers of physical qubits. For qubit technologies based on solid-state electronic devices1-3, integrating millions of qubits in a single processor will require device fabrication to reach a scale comparable to that of the modern complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) industry. Equally important, the scale of cryogenic device testing must keep pace to enable efficient device screening and to improve statistical metrics such as qubit yield and voltage variation. Spin qubits1,4,5 based on electrons in Si have shown impressive control fidelities6-9 but have historically been challenged by yield and process variation10-12. Here we present a testing process using a cryogenic 300-mm wafer prober13 to collect high-volume data on the performance of hundreds of industry-manufactured spin qubit devices at 1.6 K. This testing method provides fast feedback to enable optimization of the CMOS-compatible fabrication process, leading to high yield and low process variation. Using this system, we automate measurements of the operating point of spin qubits and investigate the transitions of single electrons across full wafers. We analyse the random variation in single-electron operating voltages and find that the optimized fabrication process leads to low levels of disorder at the 300-mm scale. Together, these results demonstrate the advances that can be achieved through the application of CMOS-industry techniques to the fabrication and measurement of spin qubit devices.

Effect of Quantum Hall Edge Strips on Valley Splitting in Silicon Quantum Wells.

We determine the energy splitting of the conduction-band valleys in two-dimensional electrons confined to low-disorder Si quantum wells. We probe the valley splitting dependence on both perpendicular magnetic field B and Hall density by performing activation energy measurements in the quantum Hall regime over a large range of filling factors. The mobility gap of the valley-split levels increases linearly with B and is strikingly independent of Hall density. The data are consistent with a transport model in which valley splitting depends on the incremental changes in density eB/h across quantum Hall edge strips, rather than the bulk density. Based on these results, we estimate that the valley splitting increases with density at a rate of 116 µeV/10^{11} cm^{-2}, which is consistent with theoretical predictions for near-perfect quantum well top interfaces.

A crossbar network for silicon quantum dot qubits.

The spin states of single electrons in gate-defined quantum dots satisfy crucial requirements for a practical quantum computer. These include extremely long coherence times, high-fidelity quantum operation, and the ability to shuttle electrons as a mechanism for on-chip flying qubits. To increase the number of qubits to the thousands or millions of qubits needed for practical quantum information, we present an architecture based on shared control and a scalable number of lines. Crucially, the control lines define the qubit grid, such that no local components are required. Our design enables qubit coupling beyond nearest neighbors, providing prospects for nonplanar quantum error correction protocols. Fabrication is based on a three-layer design to define qubit and tunnel barrier gates. We show that a double stripline on top of the structure can drive high-fidelity single-qubit rotations. Self-aligned inhomogeneous magnetic fields induced by direct currents through superconducting gates enable qubit addressability and readout. Qubit coupling is based on the exchange interaction, and we show that parallel two-qubit gates can be performed at the detuning-noise insensitive point. While the architecture requires a high level of uniformity in the materials and critical dimensions to enable shared control, it stands out for its simplicity and provides prospects for large-scale quantum computation in the near future.

Whole-genome sequencing and phenotypic analysis of Bacillus subtilis mutants following evolution under conditions of relaxed selection for sporulation.

Little is known about how genetic variation at the nucleotide level contributes to competitive fitness within species. During a 6,000-generation study of Bacillus subtilis evolved under relaxed selection for sporulation, a new strain, designated WN716, emerged with significantly different colony and cell morphologies; loss of sporulation, competence, acetoin production, and motility; multiple auxotrophies; and increased competitive fitness (H. Maughan and W. L. Nicholson, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 77:4105-4118, 2011). The genome of WN716 was analyzed by OpGen optical mapping, whole-genome 454 pyrosequencing, and the CLC Genomics Workbench. No large chromosomal rearrangements were found; however, 34 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and +1 frameshifts were identified in WN716 that resulted in amino acid changes in coding sequences of annotated genes, and 11 SNPs were located in intergenic regions. Several classes of genes were affected, including biosynthetic pathways, sporulation, competence, and DNA repair. In several cases, attempts were made to link observed phenotypes of WN716 with the discovered mutations, with various degrees of success. For example, a +1 frameshift was identified at codon 13 of sigW, the product of which (SigW) controls a regulon of genes involved in resistance to bacteriocins and membrane-damaging antibiotics. Consistent with this finding, WN716 exhibited sensitivity to fosfomycin and to a bacteriocin produced by B. subtilis subsp. spizizenii and exhibited downregulation of SigW-dependent genes on a transcriptional microarray, consistent with WN716 carrying a knockout of sigW. The results suggest that propagation of B. subtilis for less than 2,000 generations in a nutrient-rich environment where sporulation is suppressed led to rapid initiation of genomic erosion.

Rate constants of nine C6-C9 alkanes with OH from 230 to 379 K: chemical tracers for [OH].

We report absolute rate-constant measurements for the reactions of nine C(6)-C(9) alkanes with OH in 8-10 torr of nitrogen from 230 to 379 K in the Harvard University High-Pressure Flow System. Hydroxyl concentrations were measured using laser-induced fluorescence, and alkane concentrations were measured using Fourier transform infrared Spectroscopy. Ethane's reactivity was simultaneously measured as a test of experimental performance. Results were fit to a modified Arrhenius equation based on transition state theory (ignoring tunneling), k(T) = Be(-E(a)/T)/(T(1 - e(- 1.44nu(1)/T))(2)(1 - e(- 1.44nu(2)/T)), with nu(1) and nu(2) bending frequencies, set to 280 and 500 cm(-1). Results were as follows for B (10(-9) K cm(3) s(-1)), E(a) (K), and k(298) (10(-12) cm(3) s(-1)): cyclohexane, 3.24 +/- 0.14, 332 +/- 12, 7.13; cyclo-octane, 3.47 +/- 0.30, 149 +/- 26, 14.1; 2-methylhexane, 1.45 +/- 0.08, 110 +/- 15, 6.72; 3-methylhexane, 1.50 +/- 0.08, 128 +/- 16, 6.54; methylcyclopentane, 1.65 +/- 0.07, 109 +/- 13, 7.65; methylcyclohexane, 1.86 +/- 0.09, 83 +/- 14, 9.43; methylcycloheptane, 3.45 +/- 0.45, 142 +/- 36, 14.4; n-propylcyclohexane, 2.83 +/- 0.14, 112 +/- 15, 13.0; isopropylcyclohexane, 1.79 +/- 0.11, -44 +/- 34, 13.9. Uncertainties are one sigma results from linear regression fits and are likely underestimated. Room temperature rate coefficients of reaction are accurate to within 10% at two sigma. A comprehensive fit to 17 separate studies including the present work for cyclohexane gives good agreement with the present results: terms as above, 3.09 +/- 0.12, 326 +/- 12, 6.96. Five of these compounds are routinely measured in urban air within a suite of atmospheric nonmethane hydrocarbons and reach parts per billion levels. The remaining four are C8-C9 cycloalkanes with low anthropogenic emissions. Because of their high, specific reactivity with OH, their concentration decays may be used as an indirect measurement of [OH] in the atmosphere or laboratory. This data set serves to further constrain the reaction barriers for cyclohexane and cyclo-octane, is the first temperature-dependent study for methylcyclopentane and methylcyclohexane, and provides the first measurements for the rate constants of the remaining five hydrocarbons. Reactivity follows general trends observed for other saturated alkanes, increasing with size and extent of substitution. Reaction barriers are heavily influenced by the presence of tertiary hydrogens. The reaction barrier for cyclo-octane is significantly lower than that for cyclohexane, a result that is not predicted from our current understanding of hydrocarbon reactivity.

Mechanism of HOx Formation in the Gas-Phase Ozone-Alkene Reaction. 1. Direct, Pressure-Dependent Measurements of Prompt OH Yields†.

The gas-phase reaction of ozone with alkenes is known to be a dark source of HOx radicals (such as OH, H, and R) in the troposphere, though the reaction mechanism is currently under debate. It is understood that a key intermediate in the reaction is the carbonyl oxide, which is formed with an excess of vibrational energy. The branching ratios of the ozone-alkene reaction products (and thus HOx yields) depend critically on the fate of this intermediate: it may undergo unimolecular reaction (forming either OH or dioxirane) or be collisionally stabilized by the bath gas. To investigate this competition between reaction and quenching, we present direct, pressure-dependent measurements of hydroxyl radical (OH) yields for a number of gas-phase ozone-alkene reactions. Experiments are carried out in a high-pressure flow system (HPFS) equipped to detect OH using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Hydroxyl radicals are measured in steady state, formed from the ozone-alkene reaction and lost to reaction with the alkene. Short reaction times (usually ∼10 ms) ensure negligible interference from secondary and heterogeneous reactions. For all substituted alkenes covered in this study, low-pressure yields are large but decrease rapidly with pressure, resulting in yields at 1 atm which are significantly lower than current recommendations and indicating the important role of collisional stabilization in determining OH yield. The influence of alkene size and degree of substitution on pressure-dependent yield is consistent with the influence of collisional stabilization as well as the accepted reaction mechanism.