Self-aligned fabrication process for silicon quantum computer devices

We describe a fabrication process for devices with few quantum bits (qubits), which are suitable for proof-of-principle demonstrations of silicon-based quantum computation. The devices follow the Kane proposal to use the nuclear spins of 31P donors in 28Si as qubits, controlled by metal surface gates and measured using single electron transistors (SETs). The accurate registration of 31P donors to control gates and read-out SETs is achieved through the use of a self-aligned process which incorporates electron beam patterning, ion implantation and triple-angle shadow-mask metal evaporation

Decoherence of quantum states and its suppression in ensemble large-scale solid state NMR quantum computers

It is discussed the decoherence problems in ensemble large-scale solid state NMR quantum computer based on the array of P donor atoms having nuclear spin I = 1/2. It is considered here, as main mechanisms of decoherence for low temperature (< 0.1 K), the adiabatic processes of random modulation of qubit resonance frequency determined by secular part of nuclear spin interaction with electron spin of the basic atoms, with impurity paramagnetic atoms and also with nuclear spins of impurity diamagnetic atoms. It was made estimations of allowed concentrations of magnetic impurities and of spin temperature whereby the required decoherence suppression is obtained. It is discussed the random phase error suppression in the ensemble quantum register basic states.Comment: LaTeX 7 pages. Submitted to Proceedings of SPIE. International Symposium Quantum Informatics (QI-2002), October 2002, Zvenigorod, Russi

Optical Detection of a Single Nuclear Spin

We propose a method to optically detect the spin state of a 31-P nucleus embedded in a 28-Si matrix. The nuclear-electron hyperfine splitting of the 31-P neutral-donor ground state can be resolved via a direct frequency discrimination measurement of the 31-P bound exciton photoluminescence using single photon detectors. The measurement time is expected to be shorter than the lifetime of the nuclear spin at 4 K and 10 T.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

The classical nature of nuclear spin noise near clock transitions of Bi donors in silicon

Whether a quantum bath can be approximated as classical noise is a fundamental issue in central spin decoherence and also of practical importance in designing noise-resilient quantum control. Spin qubits based on bismuth donors in silicon have tunable interactions with nuclear spin baths and are first-order insensitive to magnetic noise at so-called clock-transitions (CTs). This system is therefore ideal for studying the quantum/classical nature of nuclear spin baths since the qubit-bath interaction strength determines the back-action on the baths and hence the adequacy of a classical noise model. We develop a Gaussian noise model with noise correlations determined by quantum calculations and compare the classical noise approximation to the full quantum bath theory. We experimentally test our model through dynamical decoupling sequence of up to 128 pulses, finding good agreement with simulations and measuring electron spin coherence times approaching one second - notably using natural silicon. Our theoretical and experimental study demonstrates that the noise from a nuclear spin bath is analogous to classical Gaussian noise if the back-action of the qubit on the bath is small compared to the internal bath dynamics, as is the case close to CTs. However, far from the CTs, the back-action of the central spin on the bath is such that the quantum model is required to accurately model spin decoherence.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Performing joint measurements and transformations on several qubits by operating on a single control qubit

An n-qubit quantum register can in principle be completely controlled by operating on a single qubit that interacts with the register via an appropriate fixed interaction. We consider a hypothetical system consisting of n spin-1/2 nuclei that interact with an electron spin via a magnetic interaction. We describe algorithms that measure non-trivial joint observables on the register by acting on the control spin only. For large n this is not an efficient model for universal quantum computation but it can be modified to an efficient one if one allows n possible positions of the control particle. This toy model of measurements illustrates in which way specific interactions between the register and a probe particle support specific types of joint measurements in the sense that some joint observables can be measured by simple sequences of operations on the probe particle.Comment: 7 pages, revtex, 3 figure

A hybrid double-dot in silicon

We report electrical measurements of a single arsenic dopant atom in the tunnel-barrier of a silicon SET. As well as performing electrical characterization of the individual dopant, we study series electrical transport through the dopant and SET. We measure the triple points of this hybrid double dot, using simulations to support our results, and show that we can tune the electrostatic coupling between the two sub-systems.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure

Effects of J-gate potential and interfaces on donor exchange coupling in the Kane quantum computer architecture

We calculate the electron exchange coupling for a phosphorus donor pair in silicon perturbed by a J-gate potential and the boundary effects of the silicon host geometry. In addition to the electron-electron exchange interaction we also calculate the contact hyperfine interaction between the donor nucleus and electron as a function of the varying experimental conditions. Donor separation, depth of the P nuclei below the silicon oxide layer and J-gate voltage become decisive factors in determining the strength of both the exchange coupling and the hyperfine interaction - both crucial components for qubit operations in the Kane quantum computer. These calculations were performed using an anisotropic effective-mass Hamiltonian approach. The behaviour of the donor exchange coupling as a function of the device parameters varied provides relevant information for the experimental design of these devices.Comment: 15 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for Journal of Physics: Condensed Matte

Coherence of Spin Qubits in Silicon

Given the effectiveness of semiconductor devices for classical computation one is naturally led to consider semiconductor systems for solid state quantum information processing. Semiconductors are particularly suitable where local control of electric fields and charge transport are required. Conventional semiconductor electronics is built upon these capabilities and has demonstrated scaling to large complicated arrays of interconnected devices. However, the requirements for a quantum computer are very different from those for classical computation, and it is not immediately obvious how best to build one in a semiconductor. One possible approach is to use spins as qubits: of nuclei, of electrons, or both in combination. Long qubit coherence times are a prerequisite for quantum computing, and in this paper we will discuss measurements of spin coherence in silicon. The results are encouraging - both electrons bound to donors and the donor nuclei exhibit low decoherence under the right circumstances. Doped silicon thus appears to pass the first test on the road to a quantum computer.Comment: Submitted to J Cond Matter on Nov 15th, 200

Two Qubit Quantum Computing in a Projected Subspace

A formulation for performing quantum computing in a projected subspace is presented, based on the subdynamical kinetic equation (SKE) for an open quantum system. The eigenvectors of the kinetic equation are shown to remain invariant before and after interaction with the environment. However, the eigenvalues in the projected subspace exhibit a type of phase shift to the evolutionary states. This phase shift does not destroy the decoherence-free (DF) property of the subspace because the associated fidelity is 1. This permits a universal formalism to be presented - the eigenprojectors of the free part of the Hamiltonian for the system and bath may be used to construct a DF projected subspace based on the SKE. To eliminate possible phase or unitary errors induced by the change in the eigenvalues, a cancellation technique is proposed, using the adjustment of the coupling time, and applied to a two qubit computing system. A general criteria for constructing a DF projected subspace from the SKE is discussed. Finally, a proposal for using triangulation to realize a decoherence-free subsystem based on SKE is presented. The concrete formulation for a two-qubit model is given exactly. Our approach is novel and general, and appears applicable to any type of decoherence. Key Words: Quantum Computing, Decoherence, Subspace, Open System PACS number: 03.67.Lx,33.25.+k,.76.60.-kComment: 24 pages. accepted by Phys. Rev.