Direct Identification of Dilute Surface Spins on Al2 O3: Origin of Flux Noise in Quantum Circuits
Journal article, 2017

An on-chip electron spin resonance technique is applied to reveal the nature and origin of surface spins on Al2O3. We measure a spin density of 2.2×1017 spins/m2, attributed to physisorbed atomic hydrogen and S=1/2 electron spin states on the surface. This is direct evidence for the nature of spins responsible for flux noise in quantum circuits, which has been an issue of interest for several decades. Our findings open up a new approach to the identification and controlled reduction of paramagnetic sources of noise and decoherence in superconducting quantum devices.

Author

Sebastian Erik de Graaf

National Physical Laboratory (NPL)

Astghik Adamyan

Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Quantum Device Physics

Tobias Lindström

National Physical Laboratory (NPL)

D. Erts

University of Latvia

Sergey Kubatkin

Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Quantum Device Physics

A.Y. Tzalenchuk

Royal Holloway University of London

National Physical Laboratory (NPL)

Andrey Danilov

Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Quantum Device Physics

Physical Review Letters

0031-9007 (ISSN) 1079-7114 (eISSN)

Vol. 118 5 057703- 057703

Areas of Advance

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Materials Science

Subject Categories

Condensed Matter Physics

DOI

10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.057703

More information

Latest update

5/29/2018