Microwave-Frequency Scanning Gate Microscopy of a Si/SiGe Double Quantum Dot.

Conventional transport methods provide quantitative information on spin, orbital, and valley states in quantum dots but lack spatial resolution. Scanning tunneling microscopy, on the other hand, provides exquisite spatial resolution at the expense of speed. Working to combine the spatial resolution and energy sensitivity of scanning probe microscopy with the speed of microwave measurements, we couple a metallic tip to a Si/SiGe double quantum dot (DQD) that is integrated with a charge detector. We first demonstrate that the dc-biased tip can be used to change the occupancy of the DQD. We then apply microwaves through the tip to drive photon-assisted tunneling (PAT). We infer the DQD level diagram from the frequency and detuning dependence of the tunneling resonances. These measurements allow the resolution of ∼65 µeV excited states, an energy consistent with valley splittings in Si/SiGe. This work demonstrates the feasibility of scanning gate experiments with Si/SiGe devices.

Two-qubit silicon quantum processor with operation fidelity exceeding 99.

Silicon spin qubits satisfy the necessary criteria for quantum information processing. However, a demonstration of high-fidelity state preparation and readout combined with high-fidelity single- and two-qubit gates, all of which must be present for quantum error correction, has been lacking. We use a two-qubit Si/SiGe quantum processor to demonstrate state preparation and readout with fidelity greater than 97%, combined with both single- and two-qubit control fidelities exceeding 99%. The operation of the quantum processor is quantitatively characterized using gate set tomography and randomized benchmarking. Our results highlight the potential of silicon spin qubits to become a dominant technology in the development of intermediate-scale quantum processors.

Atom-by-Atom Construction of a Quantum Device.

Scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs) are conventionally used to probe surfaces with atomic resolution. Recent advances in STM include tunneling from spin-polarized and superconducting tips, time-domain spectroscopy, and the fabrication of atomically precise Si nanoelectronics. In this issue of ACS Nano, Tettamanzi et al. probe a single-atom transistor in silicon, fabricated using the precision of a STM, at microwave frequencies. While previous studies have probed such devices in the MHz regime, Tettamanzi et al. probe a STM-fabricated device at GHz frequencies, which enables excited-state spectroscopy and measurements of the excited-state lifetime. The success of this experiment will enable future work on quantum control, where the wave function must be controlled on a time scale that is much shorter than the decoherence time. We review two major approaches that are being pursued to develop spin-based quantum computers and highlight some recent progress in the atom-by-atom fabrication of donor-based devices in silicon. Recent advances in STM lithography may enable practical bottom-up construction of large-scale quantum devices.

Quantum spintronics: engineering and manipulating atom-like spins in semiconductors.

The past decade has seen remarkable progress in isolating and controlling quantum coherence using charges and spins in semiconductors. Quantum control has been established at room temperature, and electron spin coherence times now exceed several seconds, a nine-order-of-magnitude increase in coherence compared with the first semiconductor qubits. These coherence times rival those traditionally found only in atomic systems, ushering in a new era of ultracoherent spintronics. We review recent advances in quantum measurements, coherent control, and the generation of entangled states and describe some of the challenges that remain for processing quantum information with spins in semiconductors.

Coulomb blockade and the Kondo effect in single-atom transistors.

Using molecules as electronic components is a powerful new direction in the science and technology of nanometre-scale systems. Experiments to date have examined a multitude of molecules conducting in parallel, or, in some cases, transport through single molecules. The latter includes molecules probed in a two-terminal geometry using mechanically controlled break junctions or scanning probes as well as three-terminal single-molecule transistors made from carbon nanotubes, C(60) molecules, and conjugated molecules diluted in a less-conducting molecular layer. The ultimate limit would be a device where electrons hop on to, and off from, a single atom between two contacts. Here we describe transistors incorporating a transition-metal complex designed so that electron transport occurs through well-defined charge states of a single atom. We examine two related molecules containing a Co ion bonded to polypyridyl ligands, attached to insulating tethers of different lengths. Changing the length of the insulating tether alters the coupling of the ion to the electrodes, enabling the fabrication of devices that exhibit either single-electron phenomena, such as Coulomb blockade, or the Kondo effect.