Back-action-induced excitation of electrons in a silicon quantum dot with a single-electron transistor charge sensor

Abstract

Back-action in the readout of quantum bits is an area that requires a great deal of attention in electron spin based-quantum bit architecture. We report here back-action measurements in a silicon device with quantum dots and a single-electron transistor (SET) charge sensor. We observe the back-action-induced excitation of electrons from the ground state to an excited state in a quantum dot. Our measurements and theoretical fitting to the data reveal conditions under which both suitable SET charge sensor sensitivity for qubit readout and low back-action-induced transition rates (less than 1 kHz) can be achieved.