Functional Overview

The SHFQA Instrument consists of several internal units that process digital data (light blue color) and several interface units processing analog signals (dark blue color). The front panel is depicted on the left-hand side and the back panel is depicted on the right-hand side. The arrows between the panels and the interface units indicate selected physical connections and the data flow. Information indicated in orange is linked to options that can be either ordered at purchase or upgraded later. The SHFQA Quantum Analyzer 8.5 GHz comes in a 2-channel and a 4-channel variant, providing either 2 or 4 readout channels, respectively. The Ordering Guide details the available upgrade options for each Instrument type and whether the option can be upgraded directly in the field.

Each channel has signal generation (Readout Pulse Generator, Oscillator) and signal analysis (Sweeper, Qubit Measurement Unit) functionality, as well as common shared modules such as the 4-channel Monitor Scope, the Hardware Trigger Engine or shared communications (32-bit DIO, ZSync). The digital, complex-valued signal from the signal generation is up-converted to microwave frequencies in the analog domain using the Signal Output Module. After passing through the device under test, the analog signal is first down-converted and then digitized in the Signal Input Unit before the complex-valued signal is being analyzed.

The SHFQA can be configured in two modes:

The front panel SMA connectors and control LEDs are arranged as shown in Figure 2 and listed in Table 1.

The back panel is the main interface for power, control, service and connectivity to other Zurich Instruments' Instruments. Please refer to Figure 3 and Table 2 for the detailed description of the items.

Table 3 provides an overview of the available SHFQA products. Upgradeable features are options that can be purchased anytime without the need to send the Instrument back to Zurich Instruments.