Fast spin-valley-based quantum gates in Si with micromagnets

An electron spin qubit in silicon quantum dots holds promise for quantum information processing due to the scalability and long coherence. An essential ingredient to recent progress is the employment of micromagnets. They generate a synthetic spin-orbit coupling (SOC), which allows high-fidelity spin manipulation and strong interaction between an electron spin and cavity photons. To scaled-up quantum computing, multiple technical challenges remain to be overcome, including controlling the valley degree of freedom, which is usually considered detrimental to a spin qubit. Here, we show that it is possible to significantly enhance the electrical manipulation of a spin qubit through the effect of constructive interference and the large spin-valley mixing. To characterize the quality of spin control, we also studied spin dephasing due to charge noise through spin-valley mixing. The competition between the increased control strength and spin dephasing produces two sweet-spots, where the quality factor of the spin qubit can be high. Finally, we reveal that the synthetic SOC leads to distinctive spin relaxation in silicon, which explains recent experiments.

Automated summary

The electron spin qubit in silicon quantum dots shows promise for quantum information processing due to scalability and long coherence. Recent progress utilizing micromagnets to generate synthetic spin-orbit coupling has enabled high-fidelity spin manipulation and strong interaction with cavity photons. Despite technical challenges, enhancing electrical manipulation and controlling spin dephasing through spin-valley mixing can lead to high-quality spin qubits.