Tantalum (Ta) has emerged as a promising low-loss material, enabling record coherence times in superconducting qubits. This enhanced performance is largely attributed to its stable native oxide, which may host fewer two-level system (TLS) defects, which are the key contributors to decoherence in superconducting circuits. Nevertheless, aluminum oxide remains the predominant choice for Josephson junction (JJ) barriers in most qubit architectures. Here, we investigate techniques for forming high-quality oxide layers on α-phase tantalum films to develop tantalum-oxide JJ barriers. We explore thermal oxidation in a tube furnace, rapid thermal annealing, and plasma oxidation of both room-temperature and heated Ta films, characterize the resulting structures using X-ray techniques and electron microscopy, and propose a mechanistic picture of the oxidation pathways. We find that plasma oxidation provides the smoothest Ta_2O_5 layers, is compatible with in situ Ta deposition, and offers thickness control through the annealing temperature, advantageous for JJ fabrication. Lastly, we evaluate methods for growing Ta/TaO_x/Ta trilayers. All trilayers showed c-axis-oriented columnar growth of the bottom Ta layer, with sapphire substrates producing larger, better-aligned grains yet higher dislocation densities than silicon. Nucleation of c-axis-oriented α-Ta on tantalum-oxide required an Nb seed layer, as direct Ta deposition yielded amorphous Ta. These results demonstrate the feasibility of α-Ta/Nb/TaO_x/α-Ta stacks for JJs with clean interfaces.

We present a novel transmon qubit fabrication technique that yields systematic improvements in T$_1$ relaxation times. We fabricate devices using an encapsulation strategy that involves passivating the surface of niobium and thereby preventing the formation of its lossy surface oxide. By maintaining the same superconducting metal and only varying the surface structure, this comparative investigation examining different capping materials, such as tantalum, aluminum, titanium nitride, and gold, and film substrates across different qubit foundries definitively demonstrates the detrimental impact that niobium oxides have on the coherence times of superconducting qubits, compared to native oxides of tantalum, aluminum or titanium nitride. Our surface-encapsulated niobium qubit devices exhibit T$_1$ relaxation times 2 to 5 times longer than baseline niobium qubit devices with native niobium oxides. When capping niobium with tantalum, we obtain median qubit lifetimes above 300 microseconds, with maximum values up to 600 microseconds, that represent the highest lifetimes to date for superconducting qubits prepared on both sapphire and silicon. Our comparative structural and chemical analysis suggests why amorphous niobium oxides may induce higher losses compared to other amorphous oxides. These results are in line with high-accuracy measurements of the niobium oxide loss tangent obtained with ultra-high Q superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities. This new surface encapsulation strategy enables even further reduction of dielectric losses via passivation with ambient-stable materials, while preserving fabrication and scalable manufacturability thanks to the compatibility with silicon processes.

Superconducting quantum processors are one of the leading platforms for realizing scalable fault-tolerant quantum computation (FTQC). The recent demonstration of post-fabrication tuning of Josephson junctions using alternating-bias assisted annealing (ABAA) technique and a reduction in junction loss after ABAA illuminates a promising path towards precision tuning of qubit frequency while maintaining high coherence. Here, we demonstrate precision tuning of the maximum Z_$\vert 0\rangle\rightarrow\vert 1\rangle$_Z transition frequency Z_$(f_{01}^{\max})$_Z of tunable transmon qubits by performing ABAA at room temperature using commercially available test equipment. We characterize the impact of junction relaxation and aging on resistance spread after tuning, and demonstrate a frequency equivalent tuning precision of 7.7 MHz (0.17%) based on targeted resistance tuning on hundreds of qubits, with a resistance tuning range up to 18.5%. Cryogenic measurements on tuned and untuned qubits show evidence of improved coherence after ABAA with no significant impact on tunability. Despite a small global offset, we show an empirical Z_$f_{01}^{\max}$_Z tuning precision of 18.4 MHz by tuning a set of multi-qubit processors targeting their designed Hamiltonians. We experimentally characterize high-fidelity parametric resonance iSWAP gates on two ABAA-tuned 9-qubit processors with fidelity as high as 99.51 Z_$\pm 0.20{\%}$_Z. On the best-performing device, we measured across the device a median fidelity of 99.22% and an average fidelity of 99.13 Z_$\pm$_Z 0.12%. Yield modeling analysis predicts high detuning-edge-yield using ABAA beyond the 1000-qubit scale. These results demonstrate the cutting-edge capability of frequency targeting using ABAA and open up a new avenue to systematically improving Hamiltonian targeting and optimization for scaling high-performance superconducting quantum processors.

Superconducting quantum bits (qubits) rely on ultra-thin, amorphous oxide tunneling barriers that can have significant inhomogeneities and defects as grown. This can result in relatively large uncertainties and deleterious effects in the circuits, limiting the scalability. Finding a robust solution to the junction reproducibility problem has been a long-standing goal in the field. Here, we demonstrate a transformational technique for controllably tuning the electrical properties of aluminum-oxide tunnel junctions. This is accomplished using a low-voltage, alternating-bias applied individually to the tunnel junctions, with which resistance tuning by more than 70% can be achieved. The data indicates an improvement of coherence and reduction of two-level system defects. Transmission electron microscopy shows that the treated junctions are predominantly amorphous, albeit with a more uniform distribution of alumina coordination across the barrier. This technique is expected to be useful for other devices based on ionic amorphous materials. Amorphous aluminum oxide tunnel junctions are important for cryogenic and room temperature devices. Here, the authors demonstrate the use of alternating-bias-assisted annealing for transforming and tuning transmon qubit junctions, where giant increases in excess of 70% in the room temperature resistance can be achieved.

Radioactivity was recently discovered as a source of decoherence and correlated errors for the real-world implementation of superconducting quantum processors. In this work, we measure levels of radioactivity present in a typical laboratory environment (from muons, neutrons, and γ -rays emitted by naturally occurring radioactive isotopes) and in the most commonly used materials for the assembly and operation of state-of-the-art superconducting qubits. We present a GEANT-4 based simulation to predict the rate of impacts and the amount of energy released in a qubit chip from each of the mentioned sources. We finally propose mitigation strategies for the operation of next-generation qubits in a radio-pure environment.

The speed of elementary quantum gates, particularly two-qubit gates, ultimately sets the limit on the speed at which quantum circuits can operate. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate commonly used two-qubit gates at nearly the fastest possible speed allowed by the physical interaction strength between two superconducting transmon qubits. We achieve this quantum speed limit by implementing experimental gates designed using a machine learning inspired optimal control method. Importantly, our method only requires the single-qubit drive strength to be moderately larger than the interaction strength to achieve an arbitrary two-qubit gate close to its analytical speed limit with high fidelity. Thus, the method is applicable to a variety of platforms including those with comparable single-qubit and two-qubit gate speeds, or those with always-on interactions. We expect our method to offer significant speedups for non-native two-qubit gates that are typically achieved with a long sequence of single-qubit and native two-qubit gates.

We demonstrate a new focused ion beam sample preparation method for atom probe tomography. The key aspect of the new method is that we use a neon ion beam for the final tip-shaping after conventional annulus milling using gallium ions. This dual-ion approach combines the benefits of the faster milling capability of the higher current gallium ion beam with the chemically inert and higher precision milling capability of the noble gas neon ion beam. Using a titanium-aluminum alloy and a layered aluminum/aluminum-oxide tunnel junction sample as test cases, we show that atom probe tips prepared using the combined gallium and neon ion approach are free from the gallium contamination that typically frustrates composition analysis of these materials due to implantation, diffusion, and embrittlement effects. We propose that by using a focused ion beam from a noble gas species, such as the neon ions demonstrated here, atom probe tomography can be more reliably performed on a larger range of materials than is currently possible using conventional techniques.

We present and validate a method for noise injection of arbitrary spectra in quantum circuits that can be applied to any system capable of executing arbitrary single qubit rotations, including cloud-based quantum processors. As the consequences of temporally correlated noise on the performance of quantum algorithms are not well understood, the capability to engineer and inject such noise in quantum systems is paramount. To date, noise injection capabilities have been limited and highly platform specific, requiring low-level access to control hardware. We experimentally validate our method by comparing to a direct hardware-based noise-injection scheme. Using a combination of quantum noise spectroscopy and classical signal analysis, we show that the two approaches agree. These results showcase a highly versatile method for noise injection that can be utilized by theoretical and experimental researchers to verify, evaluate, and improve quantum characterization protocols and quantum algorithms for sensing and computing.

Quantum information science and technology (QIST) is a critical and emerging technology with the potential for enormous world impact and is currently invested in by over 40 nations. To bring these large-scale investments to fruition and bridge the lower technology readiness levels (TRLs) of fundamental research at universities to the high TRLs necessary to realize the promise of practical quantum advantage accessible to industry and the public, we present a roadmap for Quantum Technology Demonstration Projects (QTDPs). Such QTDPs, focused on intermediate TRLs, are large-scale public-private partnerships with a high probability of translation from laboratory to practice. They create technology demonstrating a clear 'quantum advantage' for science breakthroughs that are user-motivated and will provide access to a broad and diverse community of scientific users. Successful implementation of a program of QTDPs will have large positive economic impacts.

Superconducting qubits have emerged as a potentially foundational platform technology for addressing complex computational problems deemed intractable with classical computing. Despite recent advances enabling multiqubit designs that exhibit coherence lifetimes on the order of hundreds of $\mu$s, material quality and interfacial structures continue to curb device performance. When niobium is deployed as the superconducting material, two-level system defects in the thin film and adjacent dielectric regions introduce stochastic noise and dissipate electromagnetic energy at the cryogenic operating temperatures. In this study, we utilize time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) to understand the role specific fabrication procedures play in introducing such dissipation mechanisms in these complex systems. We interrogated Nb thin films and transmon qubit structures fabricated by Rigetti Computing and at the National Institute of Standards and Technology through slight variations in the processing and vacuum conditions. We find that when Nb film is sputtered onto the Si substrate, oxide and silicide regions are generated at various interfaces. We also observe that impurity species such as niobium hydrides and carbides are incorporated within the niobium layer during the subsequent lithographic patterning steps. The formation of these resistive compounds likely impact the superconducting properties of the Nb thin film. Additionally, we observe the presence of halogen species distributed throughout the patterned thin films. We conclude by hypothesizing the source of such impurities in these structures in an effort to intelligently fabricate superconducting qubits and extend coherence times moving forward.

Contribution: A roadmap is provided for building a quantum engineering education program to satisfy U.S. national and international workforce needs. Background: The rapidly growing quantum information science and engineering (QISE) industry will require both quantum-aware and quantum-proficient engineers at the bachelor's level. Research Question: What is the best way to provide a flexible framework that can be tailored for the full academic ecosystem? Methodology: A workshop of 480 QISE researchers from across academia, government, industry, and national laboratories was convened to draw on best practices; representative authors developed this roadmap. Findings: 1) For quantum-aware engineers, design of a first quantum engineering course, accessible to all STEM students, is described; 2) for the education and training of quantum-proficient engineers, both a quantum engineering minor accessible to all STEM majors, and a quantum track directly integrated into individual engineering majors are detailed, requiring only three to four newly developed courses complementing existing STEM classes; 3) a conceptual QISE course for implementation at any postsecondary institution, including community colleges and military schools, is delineated; 4) QISE presents extraordinary opportunities to work toward rectifying issues of inclusivity and equity that continue to be pervasive within engineering. A plan to do so is presented, as well as how quantum engineering education offers an excellent set of education research opportunities; and 5) a hands-on training plan on quantum hardware is outlined, a key component of any quantum engineering program, with a variety of technologies, including optics, atoms and ions, cryogenic and solid-state technologies, nanofabrication, and control and readout electronics.

A merged-element transmon (MET) device based on silicon (Si) fins is proposed, and the first steps to form such a “FinMET” are demonstrated. This new application of fin technology capitalizes on the anisotropic etch of Si(111) relative to Si(110) to define atomically flat, high aspect ratio Si tunnel barriers with epitaxial superconductor contacts on parallel sidewall surfaces. This process circumvents the challenges associated with the growth of low-loss insulating barriers on lattice matched superconductors. By implementing low-loss, intrinsic float-zone Si as the barrier material rather than commonly used, potentially lossy AlOx, the FinMET is expected to overcome problems with standard transmons by (1) reducing dielectric losses; (2) minimizing the formation of two-level system spectral features; (3) exhibiting greater control over barrier thickness and qubit frequency spread, especially when combined with commercial fin fabrication and atomic-layer or digital etching; (4) potentially reducing the footprint by several orders of magnitude; and (5) allowing scalable fabrication. Here, as a first step to making such a device, the fabrication of Si fin capacitors on Si(110) substrates with shadow-deposited Al electrodes is demonstrated. These fin capacitors are then fabricated into lumped element resonator circuits and probed using low-temperature microwave measurements. Further thinning of silicon junctions toward the tunneling regime will enable the scalable fabrication of FinMET devices based on existing silicon technology while simultaneously avoiding lossy amorphous dielectrics for the tunnel barriers.

Superconducting circuit testing and materials loss characterization requires robust and reliable methods for the extraction of internal and coupling quality factors of microwave resonators. A common method, imposed by limitations on the device design or experimental configuration, is the single-port reflection geometry, i.e. reflection-mode. However, impedance mismatches in cryogenic systems must be accounted for through calibration of the measurement chain while it is at low temperatures. In this paper, we demonstrate a data-based, single-port calibration using commercial microwave standards and a vector network analyzer with samples at millikelvin temperature in a dilution refrigerator, making this method useful for measurements of quantum phenomena. Finally, we cross reference our data-based, single-port calibration and reflection measurement with over-coupled 2D- and 3D-resonators against well established two-port techniques corroborating the validity of our method.

The variational quantum eigensolver is currently the flagship algorithm for solving electronic structure problems on near-term quantum computers. The algorithm involves implementing a sequence of parameterized gates on quantum hardware to generate a target quantum state, and then measuring the molecular energy. Due to finite coherence times and gate errors, the number of gates that can be implemented remains limited. In this work, we propose an alternative algorithm where device-level pulse shapes are variationally optimized for the state preparation rather than using an abstract-level quantum circuit. In doing so, the coherence time required for the state preparation is drastically reduced. We numerically demonstrate this by directly optimizing pulse shapes which accurately model the dissociation of H 2 and HeH + , and we compute the ground state energy for LiH with four transmons where we see reductions in state preparation times of roughly three orders of magnitude compared to gate-based strategies.

A merged-element transmon (MET) device, based on Si fins, is proposed and the steps to form such a are demonstrated. This new application of fin technology capitalizes on the anisotropic etch of Si(111) relative to Si(110) to define atomically flat, high aspect ratio Si tunnel barriers with epitaxial superconductor contacts on the parallel side-wall surfaces. This process circumvents the challenges associated with the growth of low-loss insulating barriers on lattice matched superconductors. By implementing low-loss, intrinsic float-zone Si as the barrier material rather than commonly used, lossy Al2O3, the FinMET is expected to overcome problems with standard transmons by (1) reducing dielectric losses; (2) minimizing the formation of two-level system spectral features; (3) exhibiting greater control over barrier thickness and qubit frequency spread, especially when combined with commercial fin fabrication and atomic-layer digital etching; (4) reducing the footprint by four orders of magnitude; and (5) allowing scalable fabrication. Here, fabrication of Si fins on Si(110) substrates with shadow-deposited Al electrodes is demonstrated. The formation of FinMET devices is expected to allow tunnel junction patterning with optical lithography. This facilitates uniform fabrication on Si wafers based on existing infrastructure for fin-based devices while simultaneously avoiding lossy amorphous dielectrics for tunnel barriers.

High-fidelity single- and two-qubit gates are essential building blocks for a fault-tolerant quantum computer. While there has been much progress in suppressing single-qubit gate errors in superconducting qubit systems, two-qubit gates still suffer from error rates that are orders of magnitude higher. One limiting factor is the residual ZZ-interaction, which originates from a coupling between computational states and higher-energy states. While this interaction is usually viewed as a nuisance, here we experimentally demonstrate that it can be exploited to produce a universal set of fast single- and two-qubit entangling gates in a coupled transmon qubit system. To implement arbitrary single-qubit rotations, we design a new protocol called the two-axis gate that is based on a three-part composite pulse. It rotates a single qubit independently of the state of the other qubit despite the strong ZZ-coupling. We achieve single-qubit gate fidelities as high as 99.1 benchmarking measurements. We then demonstrate both a CZ gate and a CNOT gate. Because the system has a strong ZZ-interaction, a CZ gate can be achieved by letting the system freely evolve for a gate time t_g=53.8 ns. To design the CNOT gate, we utilize an analytical microwave pulse shape based on the SWIPHT protocol for realizing fast, low-leakage gates. We obtain fidelities of 94.6 and 97.8 tomography.

As the field of superconducting quantum computing approaches maturity, optimization of single-device performance is proving to be a promising avenue towards large-scale quantum computers. However, this optimization is possible only if performance metrics can be accurately compared among measurements, devices, and laboratories. Currently such comparisons are inaccurate or impossible due to understudied errors from a plethora of sources. In this Perspective, we outline the current state of error analysis for qubits and resonators in superconducting quantum circuits, and discuss what future investigations are required before superconducting quantum device optimization can be realized.

For the past two and a half decades, anomalous heating of trapped ions from nearby electrode surfaces has continued to demonstrate unexpected results. Caused by electric-field noise, this heating of the ions' motional modes remains an obstacle for scalable quantum computation with trapped ions. One of the anomalous features of this electric-field noise is the reported nonmonotonic behavior in the heating rate when a trap is incrementally cleaned by ion bombardment. Motivated by this result, the present work reports on a surface analysis of a sample ion-trap electrode treated similarly with incremental doses of Ar+ ion bombardment. Kelvin probe force microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to investigate how the work functions on the electrode surface vary depending on the residual contaminant coverage between each treatment. It is shown that the as-fabricated Au electrode is covered with a hydrocarbon film that is modified after the first treatment, resulting in work functions and core-level binding energies that resemble that of atomic-like carbon on Au. Changes in the spatial distribution of work functions with each treatment, combined with a suggested phenomenological coverage and surface-potential roughness dependence to the heating, appear to be related to the nonmonotonic behavior previously reported.