Next-generation superconducting qubits via defect and phonon engineering

Fault-tolerant quantum computation requires further advances in lowering physical qubit error rates in scalable architectures. In this talk, I will present our work on understanding and controlling the microscopic sources of decoherence in superconducting qubits arising from material defects and interfaces. I will present our identification of microscopic origins of two-level systems in single-crystal silicon, the discovery of interface piezoelectricity at a superconductor-silicon junction, and the observation of interface piezoelectric loss in a superconducting qubit. Finally, I will discuss our progress on using phononic engineering and nanoscale confinement to suppress these loss channels in superconducting qubits.

Speaker: Alp Sipahigil, UC Berkeley