Realization of a novel method for the detection of parasitic defects in superconducting qubits

～Paving the way for removing defects in quantum processors～

(2022/12/22)

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT, Head office: Chiyoda-ku Tokyo; President & CEO: Akira Shimada) and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) have realized a novel technique for the detection of parasitic defects in superconducting qubits. Superconducting qubits are among the most promising hardware platforms for building a quantum computer, but the realization of a full-scale fault-tolerant quantum computer remains a challenging task due to limited lifetimes of the superconducting qubits. One of the major noise mechanisms limiting the qubit lifetimes is due to unwanted two-level-system (TLS) defects in superconducting qubits. Therefore, investigation and mitigation of noise contributions from TLS defects are crucial for the further improvement of superconducting quantum processors.
In this work, NTT and AIST introduce a novel method of defect spectroscopy in superconducting qubits that allows one to distinguish different types of TLS defects. The reported method will become a valuable diagnostic tool for quantifying TLS defects and finding optimal techniques and materials for the fabrication of defect-free superconducting qubits.
This research was reported in the American journal PRX Quantum on December 21, 2022. This work was partially supported by JST CREST (JPMJCR1774) and JST Moonshot R&D (JPMJMS2067).

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Realization of a novel method for the detection of parasitic defects in superconducting qubits～Paving the way for removing defects in quantum processors～ | Press Release | NTT