INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS PUBLISHING Supercond. Sci. Technol.

16 (2003) 13371339

SUPERCONDUCTOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PII: S0953-2048(03)68656-2

Quantum dynamics of a microwave-driven SQUID

C Cosmelli1,2, P Carelli3,4, M G Castellano1,5, F Chiarello1,5, G Diambrini Palazzi1,2, M di Bucchianico2, R Leoni1,5, S Poletto2 and G Torrioli1,5
INFN, Sez. Roma 1, Universit` La Sapienza, 00185 Roma, Italy a Dipartimento di Fisica, Universit` La Sapienza, P.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Roma, Italy a 3 INFN, Sez. di Roma 2, Universit` di Tor Vergata, 00133 Roma, Italy a 4 Dipartimento di Energia Elettrica, Universit` de LAquila, Monteluco di Roio, 67040 a LAquila, Italy 5 Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie, CNR, via Cineto Romano 42, 00156 Roma, Italy
2 1

E-mail: carlo.cosmelli@roma1.infn.it

Received 10 September 2003, in nal form 2 October 2003 Published 31 October 2003 Online at stacks.iop.org/SUST/16/1337 Abstract In recent years, the quantum behaviour of Josephson devices has been the object of thorough experimental investigation, mainly with the objective of studying quantum mechanics in macroscopic objects. At present, the same quantum properties are being exploited with the aim of the physical implementation of quantum bits and quantum registers. Here we present measurements on a system containing potential qubits, namely a rf SQUID and a hysteretic dc SQUID, magnetically coupled, under microwave excitation; the devices are realized on a single chip with trilayer Nb/AlOx/Nb technology. On this system we have performed a set of measurements to test the dc SQUID response to short pulses of microwaves ranging from 2 to 32 GHz. A rst analysis of our results indicates the presence of population oscillations in the hysteretic dc SQUID. This result is very promising in view of using SQUIDs for more complex qubits systems.

1. Introduction
Superconducting Josephson devices are widely used for testing macroscopic quantum properties, or for developing qubit prototypes in view of the implementation of a quantum computer [17]. In particular, Josephson junctions can realize qubits based on the superconducting order parameter phase coordinate. In this paper, we introduce the possible use of a hysteretic dc SQUID as a phase qubit, and describe the operation of such a device driven by microwave pulses. A dc SQUID consists of a superconducting loop of inductance L, interrupted by two Josephson junctions with identical critical current I0 and capacitance C0, biased by a current Ib and by an externally applied magnetic ux e. Under the simplifying but realistic assumption that the loop inductance is very small, namely L = 2LI0 / 0 1 (where 0 = h/2e is the ux quantum) the dc SQUID behaves like a single Josephson junction with total capacitance
0953-2048/03/121337+03$30.00

C = 2C0 and a critical current that can be changed by the applied magnetic ux e according to the relation [810]: Ic (
e)

= 2I0 cos

e 0

(1)

In this case the dynamics is described by the phase difference of the superconductor order parameter across the device, in the presence of the Hamiltonian: p2 EJ (cos + ), (2) 2m where m = C 2 /(2 )2 is an effective mass, p = Q 0 /2 0 is the conjugate momentum, Q is the charge displacement on the total capacitance, EJ = Ic ( e ) 0 /2 is the Josephson energy, and = Ib /Ic ( e ) is a bias parameter. For || < 1 the washboard potential is characterized by the presence of wells separated by barriers with height U = 2EJ ( 1 2 arccos ). The plasma frequency in the minima is = 2Ic /( 0 C)(1 2 )1/4 . For U h one can approximate the bottom of a well with a H = 1337

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C Cosmelli et al

(E 2 -E 0 )/h

(G H z )

( E 1 -E 0 )/h

0 .3 9 1 0

0 . 4 0 5 0

e (0 )
Figure 1. Resonance conditions to excite levels 1 and 2, for different uxes and microwaves frequencies.

harmonic oscillator, and considers the relative energy levels En h(n + 1/2). A more accurate result for the energy = levels gives [11]: En h = n+ 1 2 h (11 + 30n + 30n2 ) . 432 U (3)
Figure 2. Microscope image and scheme of the hysteretic dc SQUID.
G P IB P ulse G en . Trig ge r G P IB I w a ve G en . V (I) A n te nn a

For T < Tc h/(7.2kB ) only the fundamental level is signicantly occupied, and the system is in the quantum regime. In this case a small microwave pulse of frequency = (Ek E0 )/ h, equal to the spacing between the fundamental level E0 and an higher level Ek, acts on the system by inducing Rabi oscillations between the two levels with the effect to populate the upper level. The two levels can be used as computational states 0 and 1, and microwave pulses of appropriate durations can be used for coherent manipulations. In gure 1, the resonance conditions for the excitation of levels 1 and 2 obtained by equation (3) for different uxes and frequencies are plotted, with a set of parameters C = 1.1 pF, I0 = 9.5 A, Ib = 5.5 A. The state readout can be performed by applying a current pulse for a short time, with height and duration chosen in order to cause an escape across the barrier only from the higher level and not from the fundamental one. The possible escape activates a running state, and so a detectable voltage pulse V 0 /2 across the device. In this way the current pulse = can cause a detectable voltage pulse with probability related to the upper-level population.

Vout

L sw
F ilters

V dc

Figure 3. Scheme of the measurement apparatus.

2. Experimental apparatus
The considered device has been developed using thin-lm techniques and Nb/AlOx/Nb junctions. In the same chip we have different devices, in particular an rf SQUID inductively coupled to a non-hysteretic dc SQUID amplier and to a hysteretic dc SQUID by means of two ux transformers [8]. The main aim of the chip is the study of quantum coherence in the rf SQUID, used as a ux qubit, with the dc SQUIDs used as detectors. However, the single hysteretic dc SQUID (gure 2) presents the necessary characteristics for a use as phase qubit, and we can operate only on this device to investigate its quantum properties. In particular, it can be biased by an external ux and by an rf signal to excite and drive oscillations between the energy levels of the system. The parameters of the considered dc SQUID are L = 12 pH, C = 1.1 pF, I0 = 9.5 A, obtained by geometrical estimations and escape measurements. The chip is immersed in the liquid 1338

mixture inside the mixing chamber of a dilution refrigerator6 . This ensures a good thermal contact with the cold bath and uniformity in the device temperature. All the low-frequency lines are ltered at intermediate temperatures (1 K and/or 0.1 K) and with thermocoax cables in the mixing chamber [12].7 The rf line is realized with standard SS coax lines and SMA connectors. The input bias current signals are generated by standard signal generators having a rise time lower than 4 ns, the rf signal is generated by a signal generator8 with continuous operation or pulsed operation allowing bursts length of 10 ns, and frequency range 540 GHz. All the measurements and the on-line or off-line analysis have been performed using LabVIEW custom programmes, with a 16-bit DAQ board. The measurements refer to a thermodynamic temperature of 60 mK. In gure 3, a scheme of the measurement apparatus used for microwave-pulsed operation is reported.

3. Measurements
The measurements have been performed in two subsequent steps, by applying both continuous microwave signals, in order
6 7 8

Leiden Cryogenics, model 200TF. ThermocoaxTM cable, from Thermocoax, France. Anritsu, model 36940A.

Quantum dynamics of a microwave-driven SQUID

1.0 0.8 0.6

1 .0

0.405 0 0.391 0

0 .8 0 .6

0.4 0.2 0.0 0.32 0.34 0.36 0.38 0.40 0.42 0.44 0.46

P
0 .4 0 .2

e (m 0 )

0 .0

0 .1

0 .2

0 .3

0 .4

0 .5

t (s)
Figure 6. Measure of the probability oscillations by repeating the measure of gure 2 for different values of the pulse duration t.

Figure 4. Switching probability of the hysteretic SQUID versus the applied external ux, with a continuous microwave signal at 15 GHz.

rf p u lse Ib

1 0

of them immediately followed by a short current pulse (50 ns) for the state readout (gure 5). This sequence (generally of 10 000 repetitions) is used to estimate the escape probability P, related to the probability to have the upper level populated. This measurement is repeated for different t, from 100 ns to 500 ns, and shows the presence of population oscillations (gure 6), that can be interpreted as Rabi oscillations with frequency 7.4 MHz and decoherence time 150 ns. Further analysis is in progress in order to conrm this result.

4. Conclusions
Figure 5. Sketch of the timing for signals sent to the SQUID (the rf pulse and the bias current Ib) and of the voltage V read across the SQUID.

to obtain a spectroscopic characterization, and by applying microwave pulses of different lengths, in order to have a time characterization. First we measured the switching probability of the dc SQUID from the superconducting to the voltage state in function of an applied bias ux. The measurement is realized by applying a variable ux to the SQUID in small steps. At each step bias current pulses with a value just below the critical current are applied to the SQUID and the resulting voltage is recorded to estimate the switching probability. This process is repeated for all the ux values. The result of a typical switching probability measurement is shown in gure 4, where a continuous signal of microwave radiation at 15 GHz was applied to the SQUID. The switching probability shows two peaks that appear to be associated with the resonant excitation of energy levels E1 and E2 in the dc SQUID potential well (compare with gure 1). The amplitude of the microwave signal has been chosen such to avoid saturation in the switching probability. This ensures that the microwave signal is indeed a small perturbation to the system dynamics. The switching sensitivity, i.e. the width of the curve from 10% to 90% of the switching probability, measured in the absence of microwave signal, is approximately 1 m 0. For the time characterization we rst x the ux bias in correspondence of the right peak, to ensure resonance of the 15 GHz microwaves with the levels E0E1. Then we applied a sequence of microwave pulses of duration t, each

We have presented rst results suggesting the quantum coherent behaviour of a hysteretic dc SQUID driven by rf pulses. Work is in progress to improve control and readout of such system.

Acknowledgments
This work was supported by Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare under the projects MQC and SQC.

References
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