Abstract
As quantum information processors grow in quantum bit (qubit) count and functionality, the control and measurement system becomes a limiting factor to large scale extensibility. To tackle this challenge and keep pace with rapidly evolving classical control requirements, full control stack access is essential to system level optimization. We design a modular FPGA (field-programmable gate array) based system called QubiC to control and measure a superconducting quantum processing unit. The system includes room temperature electronics hardware, FPGA gateware, and engineering software. A prototype hardware module is assembled from several commercial off-the-shelf evaluation boards and in-house developed circuit boards. Gateware and software are designed to implement basic qubit control and measurement protocols. System functionality and performance are demonstrated by performing qubit chip characterization, gate optimization, and randomized benchmarking sequences on a superconducting quantum processor operating at the Advanced Quantum Testbed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The single-qubit and two-qubit process fidelities are measured to be 0.99800.0001 and 0.9480.004 by randomized benchmarking. With fast circuit sequence loading capability, the QubiC performs randomized compiling experiments efficiently and improves the feasibility of executing more complex algorithms.
Highlights
T HE quantum computer represents a paradigm shifting innovation for computing technology, spurring the development of new breakthroughs in science [1], [2]
Recent developments have explored highly integrated system-on-chip (SoC) solution and moved it to the cryogenic stage [16]–[18]. They will benefit from a deeper understanding of the control requirements that emerge as system size increases, and will rely on broad conceptual explorations rooted in more flexible hardware platforms
QubiC allows researchers to access the full electronics hardware, gateware and software stack, which will enable the execution of a broader class of computation experiments while facilitating the implementation co-design at each level of the stack in generation systems
Summary
T HE quantum computer represents a paradigm shifting innovation for computing technology, spurring the development of new breakthroughs in science [1], [2]. Recent developments have explored highly integrated system-on-chip (SoC) solution and moved it to the cryogenic stage [16]–[18] As such efforts mature, they will benefit from a deeper understanding of the control requirements that emerge as system size increases, and will rely on broad conceptual explorations rooted in more flexible hardware platforms. We develop and test the QubiC (Qubit Control) system – an open source FPGA based RF control system that integrates qubit pulse generation and quantum state measurement [19]. Leveraging state-of-the-art FPGA technology, QubiC provides fully parametric waveform generation, and allows researchers to access all the control layers. This scalable and cost-effective system will be a potential open source toolbox for the quantum community
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