Theses and Dissertations from UMD
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
Browse
6 results
Search Results
Item Optical nanofiber fabrication and analysis towards coupling atoms to superconducting qubits(2014) Hoffman, Jonathan; Orozco, Luis A.; Rolston, Steven L.; Physics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)We describe advancements towards coupling superconducting qubits to neutral atoms. To produce a measurably large coupling, the atoms will need to be on the order of a few micrometers away from the qubit. A consequence of combining superconducting qubits and atoms is addressing their operational constraints, such as the deleterious light effects on superconducting systems and the magnetic field sensitivity of superconducting qubits. Our group proposes the use of optical-nanofiber-based optical dipole traps to confine atoms near the superconductor. Optical nanofibers (ONFs) have high-intensity evanescent waves that require less power than equivalent standard dipole traps. This thesis focuses on the fabrication and analysis of the behavior of ONFs. First we present the construction of the pulling apparatus. We outline the necessary steps for a typical pull, detailing the cleaning and alignment process. Then we examine the quality of the fibers by measuring their transmission and comparing our results to other reported measurements, demonstrating a two-order of magnitude decrease in loss. Next we present the modal evolution in ONFs using simulations and spectrogram analysis. We identify crucial elements to improve the transmission and demonstrate understanding of the modal dynamics during the pull. Then we study higher-order modes (HOMs) with ONFs using the first excited TE01, TM01, and HE21 modes. We demonstrate transmissions greater than 97% for 780 nm light when we launch the first excited LP11 family of modes through fibers with a 350 nm waist. This setup enables us to launch these three modes with high purity at the output, where less than 1% of the light is coupled to the fundamental mode. We then focus on the identification of modes on the ONF waist. First we use Rayleigh scattering to identify the modal content of an ONF. Bulk optics can convert the modes in the ONF, and we observe the controllable conversion of superpositions of modes. Finally, we use an evanescently-coupled tapered optical fiber probe that allows for the identification of the fundamental mode beating with HOMs and compare the results to simulations.Item Quantum Coherent Dynamics in a dc SQUID Phase Qubit Using an LC Filter(2010) Kwon, Hyeokshin; Wellstood, Frederick C.; Physics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)A dc SQUID phase qubit consists of two Josephson junctions in a loop. One junction acts as a qubit with two lowest energy levels forming the |0> and |1> status. The second junction and the loop inductance act to isolate the qubit junction from noise. In this thesis, I report on the improvement of the relaxation time and the coherence time in a dc SQUID phase qubit that used an LC filter. I also report the measurement of anomalous switching curves. In order to improve the relaxation and coherence times, I used two isolation networks, an LC isolation network and an inductive isolation network, to decouple the device from the current bias lines. This produced a very large total effective resistance of the input leads that increases the relaxation time of the qubit. In addition, I connected a low-loss SiNx shunting capacitor across the qubit junction to reduce dielectric losses. I measured two dc SQUID phase qubits. Device DS6 had a 4 (μm)2 Al/AlOx/Al qubit junction with a critical current of 0.5 μA and a 1 pF shunting capacitor. It used an LC filter made from a 10 nH inductor and a 145 pF capacitor. The capacitors contained N-H rich SiNx which produced a loss tangent of about 7×10-4. Device DS8 had a 2 (μm)2 Al/AlOx/Al qubit junction with a critical current of 77 nA and an LC filter similar to the first one. The shunting capacitor contained Si-H rich SiNx. Using a pulse readout technique, I measured the characteristics of the qubits, including the transition spectrum, Rabi oscillations, relaxation, Ramsey fringes and state tomography. The best relaxation time T1 for device DS6 was 32 ns and 280 ns for device DS8. The best Rabi decay time T' for DS6 was 42 ns while for device DS8 it was 120 ns. From these and other data I obtained estimates for the best coherence time T2 in device DS6 of 61 ns and 76 ns in device DS8. In DS8, I observed anomalous switching curves; i.e. switching curves which were qualitatively different from conventional switching curves. In the conventional case, the switching curve for the superposition state is the weighted sum of the |0> and |1> curves, but it was not in device DS8. Instead, the switching curve shifted along the current axis as the exited state probability increased. I present a model for understanding the behavior and use this model to extract the probability to be in the excited state.Item Reducing Decoherence in dc SQUID Phase Qubits(2010) Przybysz, Anthony Joseph; Wellstood, Frederick C.; Physics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis examines sources of dissipation and dephasing in a dc SQUID phase qubit. Coupling of the qubit to the bias lines and lossy dielectrics causes the qubit to lose quantum information through a process known generally as decoherence. Using knowledge of the possible sources of decoherence, a dc SQUID phase qubit is designed with parameters that should have made it resistant to dissipation and dephasing from those sources. Device PB9 was a dc SQUID with one small area 0.23 (μm)2 Josephson junction with a critical current of 130 nA, which was meant to be the qubit junction, and a larger area 5 (μm)2 junction with a critical current of 8.6 μA, which acted as part of an inductive isolation network. The qubit junction was shunted by a 1.5 pF low-loss interdigitated capacitor. The dc current bias line had an on-chip LC filter with a cutoff frequency of 180 MHz. The other control lines were also designed to minimize coupling of dissipative elements to the qubit. According to a theoretical model of the dissipation and dephasing, the qubit was expected to have an energy relaxation T1 ≤ 8.4 μs and dephasing time Tphi ~ 1 μs. Because of the relatively high Josephson inductance of the qubit junction, the device did not act perform like a conventional isolated single-junction phase qubit. Instead, the resonant modes that I observed were the normal modes of the entire SQUID. At 20 mK and a frequency of 4.047 GHz, the maximum energy relaxation time of the device was found to be 350 ± 70 ns, despite the optimized design. Through a study of T1 versus applied flux, T1 was found to depend on the strength of the coupling of the microwave drive line to the qubit. When the line was more coupled, T1 was shorter. This was evidence that the microwave line was overcoupled to the qubit, and was limiting the lifetime of the excited state T1. Through a study of the spectroscopic coherence time T2*, which measured the effects of low-frequency inhomogeneous broadening and higher frequency dephasing from noise, I discovered that device PB9 has several sweet spots. In particular, the presence of a sweet spot with respect to critical current fluctuations allowed me to identify critical current noise as a major source of broadening and dephasing in the qubit. From the spectroscopy I estimated the 1/f critical current noise power density at 1 Hz was and the 1/f flux noise power spectral density at 1 Hz was . Both of these values were quite high, possibly due to switching of the device between measurements.Item dc SQUID Phase Qubit(2008-08-06) palomaki, tauno; Wellstood, Frederick C; Physics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis examines the behavior of dc SQUID phase qubits in terms of their proposed use in a quantum computer. In a phase qubit, the two lowest energy states (n=0 and n=1) of a current-biased Josephson junction form the qubit states, with the gauge invariant phase difference across the junction being relatively well defined. In a dc SQUID phase qubit, the Josephson junction is isolated from the environment using an inductive isolation network and Josephson junction, which are connected across the phase qubit junction to form a dc SQUID. Five dc SQUID phase qubits were examined at temperatures down to 25 mK. Three of the devices had qubit junctions that were Nb/AlOx/Nb junctions with critical currents of roughly 30 microamps. The other two had Al/AlOx/Al junctions with critical currents of roughly 1.3 microamps. The device that had the best performance was an Al/AlOx/Al device with a relaxation time of 30 ns and a coherence time of 24 ns. The devices were characterized using microwave spectroscopy, Rabi oscillations, relaxation and Ramsey fringe measurements. I was also able to see coupling between two Nb/AlOx/Nb dc SQUID phase qubits and perform Rabi oscillations with them. The Nb/AlOx/Nb devices had a relaxation time and coherence time that were half that of the Al/AlOx/Al device. One of the goals of this work was to understand the nature of parasitic quantum systems (TLSs) that interact with the qubit. Coupling between a TLS and a qubit causes an avoided level crossing in the transition spectrum of the qubit. In the Al/AlOx/Al devices unintentional avoided level crossings were visible with sizes up to 240 MHz, although most visible splittings were of order ~20 MHz. The measured spectra were compared to a model of the avoided level crossing based on the TLSs coupling to the junction, through either the critical current or the voltage across the junction.Item Quantum Transport in Nanoscale Semiconductor Devices(2006-08-02) Jones, Gregory Millington; Yang, Chia-Hung; Electrical Engineering; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Because of technological advancement, transistor dimensions are approaching the length scale of the electron Fermi wavelength, on the order of only nanometers. In this regime, quantum mechanical phenomena will dominate electron transport. Using InAs single quantum wells, we have fabricated Y-shaped electron waveguides whose lengths are smaller than the elastic mean free path. Electron transport in these waveguides is ballistic, a quantum mechanical phenomenon. Coupled to the electron waveguide are two gates used to coherently steer the electron wave. We demonstrate for the first time that gating modifies the electron's wave function, by changing its geometrical resonance in the waveguide. Evidence of this alteration is the observation of anti-correlated, oscillatory transconductances. Our data provides direct evidence of wavefunction steering in a transistor structure and has applications in high-speed, low-power electronics. Quantum computing, if realized, will have a significant impact in computer security. The development of quantum computers has been hindered by challenges in producing the basic building block, the qubit. Qubit approaches using semiconductors promise upscalability and can take the form of a single electron transistor. We have designed, fabricated, and characterized single electron transistors in InAs, and separately in silicon, for the application of quantum computing. With the InAs single electron transistor, we have demonstrated one-electron quantum dots using a single-top-gate transistor configuration on a composite quantum well. Electrical transport data indicates a 15meV charging energy and a 20meV orbital energy spacing, which implies a quantum dot of 20nm in diameter. InAs is attractive due to its large electron Landé g-factor. With the silicon-based single electron transistor, we have demonstrated a structure that is similar to conventional silicon-based metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors. The substrate is undoped and becomes insulating at low temperatures. There are two layers of gates that when properly biased define the single electron transistor potential profile. The measured stability chart at 4.2K indicates a charging energy of 18meV. Our silicon-based single electron transistor is promising, because spin coherence times in silicon are orders of magnitude longer than those in GaAs.Item Measurements of charge motion in silicon with a single electron transistor: toward individual dopant control(2005-12-02) Brown, Kenton Randolph; Kane, Bruce E; Physics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)I present the results of experimental investigations into single electron transistors made on doped silicon substrates, with the ultimate goal of individual dopant manipulation at millikelvin temperatures. The sensitivity of single electron transistors to local charge motion should enable observations of single donor ionization. Here I formulate a model for the electrostatic control of a donor electron near an oxide interface and describe a device geometry that should enable its measurement. I give data from several Al-AlOx-Al single electron transistors below 100 mK that provide evidence for field-induced dopant ionization, as well as for the motion of individual charges whose origins are not yet understood. I also describe a cryogenic scanning force microscope that I built to measure large arrays of single electron transistors.