David Gunnarsson

Coherent dynamics of a Josephson charge qubit

We have fabricated a Josephson charge qubit by capacitively coupling a single-Cooper-pair box (SCB) to an electrometer based upon a single-electron transistor (SET) configured for radio-frequency readout (rf-SET). Charge quantization of 2e is observed and microwave spectroscopy is used to extract the Josephson and charging energies of the box. We perform coherent manipulation of the SCB by using very fast dc pulses and observe quantum oscillations in time of the charge that persist to ≃10 ns. The observed contrast of the oscillations is high and agrees with that expected from the finite EJ/EC ratio and finite rise time of the dc pulses. In addition, we are able to demonstrate nearly 100% initial charge state polarization. We also present a method to determine the relaxation time T1 when it is shorter than the measurement time

Radio-frequency single-electron transistor: Toward the shot-noise limit

We have fabricated an aluminum single-electron transistor and characterized it at frequencies up to 10 MHz by measuring the reflected signal from a resonant tank in which the transistor is embedded. We measured the charge sensitivity of this radio-frequency single-electron transistor to be 3.2×10−6 e/Hz, which corresponds to the uncoupled energy sensitivity of 4.8 ℏ. Our measurements indicate that with further improvements, the radio-frequency single-electron transistor could reach the shot-noise limit estimated to be about 1 ℏ.

Observation of quantum capacitance in the Cooper-pair transistor

We have fabricated a Cooper-pair transistor (CPT) with parameters such that for appropriate voltage biases, it behaves essentially like a single Cooper-pair box (SCB). The effective capacitance of a SCB can be defined as the derivative of the induced charge with respect to gate voltage and has two parts, the geometric capacitance, C(geom), and the quantum capacitance C(Q). The latter is due to the level anticrossing caused by the Josephson coupling and is dual to the Josephson inductance. It depends parametrically on the gate voltage and its magnitude may be substantially larger than C(geom). We have detected C(Q) in our CPT, by measuring the in phase and quadrature rf signal reflected from a resonant circuit in which the CPT is embedded. C(Q) can be used as the basis of a charge qubit readout by placing a Cooper-pair box in such a resonant circuit.

Comparison of cryogenic filters for use in single electronics experiments

We have analyzed six different cryogenic filters for applications in single electronics. Each filter is evaluated with respect to its construction, cryogenic compatibility, principle of operation, and performance. The filters were measured at 4.2 K in a 50 Ω environment between 20 kHz and 8 GHz. We have also combined some of the best properties of these filters into a single, highly effective filter that covers the entire frequency spectrum.

Strain enhanced electron cooling in a degenerately doped semiconductor

Enhanced electron cooling is demonstrated in a strained-silicon/superconductor tunnel junction refrigerator of volume 40 μm3. The electron temperature is reduced from 300 mK to 174 mK, with the enhancement over an unstrained silicon control (300 mK–258 mK) being attributed to the smaller electron-phonon coupling in the strained case. Modeling and the resulting predictions of silicon-based cooler performance are presented. Further reductions in the minimum temperature are expected if the junction sub-gap leakage and tunnel resistance can be reduced. However, if only tunnel resistance is reduced, Joule heating is predicted to dominate.

Nanoelectronic primary thermometry below 4 mK.

Cooling nanoelectronic structures to millikelvin temperatures presents extreme challenges in maintaining thermal contact between the electrons in the device and an external cold bath. It is typically found that when nanoscale devices are cooled to ∼10 mK the electrons are significantly overheated. Here we report the cooling of electrons in nanoelectronic Coulomb blockade thermometers below 4 mK. The low operating temperature is attributed to an optimized design that incorporates cooling fins with a high electron–phonon coupling and on-chip electronic filters, combined with low-noise electronic measurements. By immersing a Coulomb blockade thermometer in the 3He/4He refrigerant of a dilution refrigerator, we measure a lowest electron temperature of 3.7 mK and a trend to a saturated electron temperature approaching 3 mK. This work demonstrates how nanoelectronic samples can be cooled further into the low-millikelvin range.We report the cooling of electrons in nanoelectronic Coulomb blockade thermometers below 4 mK. Above 7 mK the devices are in good thermal contact with the environment, well isolated from electrical noise, and not susceptible to self-heating. This is attributed to an optimised design that incorporates cooling fins with a high electronphonon coupling and on-chip electronic filters, combined with a low-noise electronic measurement setup. Below 7 mK the electron temperature is seen to diverge from the ambient temperature. By immersing a Coulomb Blockade Thermometer in the He/He refrigerant of a dilution refrigerator, we measure a lowest electron temperature of 3.7 mK.

Vibronic spectroscopy of an artificial molecule

We have performed microwave reflection experiments on a charge-phase qubit coupled to an LC oscillator. We find that the system behaves like an artificial molecule showing vibronic sideband transitions. The reflected signal is determined by a combination of the Franck-Condon principle and resolved-sideband cooling or heating of the oscillator.

Interfacial Engineering of Semiconductor-Superconductor Junctions for High Performance Micro-Coolers.

The control of electronic and thermal transport through material interfaces is crucial for numerous micro and nanoelectronics applications and quantum devices. Here we report on the engineering of the electro-thermal properties of semiconductor-superconductor (Sm-S) electronic cooler junctions by a nanoscale insulating tunnel barrier introduced between the Sm and S electrodes. Unexpectedly, such an interface barrier does not increase the junction resistance but strongly reduces the detrimental sub-gap leakage current. These features are key to achieving high cooling power tunnel junction refrigerators, and we demonstrate unparalleled performance in silicon-based Sm-S electron cooler devices with orders of magnitudes improvement in the cooling power in comparison to previous works. By adapting the junctions in strain-engineered silicon coolers we also demonstrate efficient electron temperature reduction from 300 mK to below 100 mK. Investigations on junctions with different interface quality indicate that the previously unexplained sub-gap leakage current is strongly influenced by the Sm-S interface states. These states often dictate the junction electrical resistance through the well-known Fermi level pinning effect and, therefore, superconductivity could be generally used to probe and optimize metal-semiconductor contact behaviour.

Large 256-Pixel X-ray Transition-Edge Sensor Arrays With Mo/TiW/Cu Trilayers

We describe the fabrication and electrical characterization of 256-pixel X-ray transition-edge sensor (TES) arrays intended for materials analysis applications. The processing is done on 6-in wafers, providing capabilities on a commercial scale. TES films were novel proximity coupled Mo/TiW/Cu trilayers, where the thin TiW layer in between aims to improve the stability of the devices by preventing unwanted effects such as Mo/Cu interdiffusion. The absorber elements were electrodeposited gold of thickness 2 μm. The single-pixel design discussed here is the so-called Corbino geometry. Most design goals were successfully met, such as the critical temperature, thermal time constant, and transition steepness.

On-chip magnetic cooling of a nanoelectronic device

We demonstrate significant cooling of electrons in a nanostructure below 10 mK by demagnetisation of thin-film copper on a silicon chip. Our approach overcomes the typical bottleneck of weak electron-phonon scattering by coupling the electrons directly to a bath of refrigerated nuclei, rather than cooling via phonons in the host lattice. Consequently, weak electron-phonon scattering becomes an advant- age. It allows the electrons to be cooled for an experimentally useful period of time to temperatures colder than the dilution refrigerator platform, the incoming electrical connections, and the host lattice. There are efforts worldwide to reach sub-millikelvin electron temperatures in nanostructures to study coherent electronic phenomena and improve the operation of nanoelectronic devices. On-chip magnetic cooling is a promising approach to meet this challenge. The method can be used to reach low, local electron temperatures in other nanostructures, obviating the need to adapt traditional, large demagnetisation stages. We demonstrate the technique by applying it to a nanoelectronic primary thermometer that measures its internal electron temperature. Using an optimised demagnetisation process, we demonstrate cooling of the on-chip electrons from 9 mK to below 5 mK for over 1000 seconds.