Functional Overview
This chapter provides the overview of the features provided by the SHFQC Instrument. The first section contains the description of the functional diagram and the hardware and software feature list. The next section details the front panel and the back panel of the measurement instrument. The following section provides product selection and ordering support.
Features
The SHFQC Instrument consists of one Quantum Analyzer readout channel, and 6 Signal Generator control channels. Both types of channels consists of several interface units processing analog signals (dark blue color), and several internal units that process digital data (light blue color). The interface units that connect to the front panel are depicted on the left-hand side and the units at the back panel are depicted on the right-hand side of the Figure. Arrows between the panels and the interface units indicate selected physical connections and data flow, whereas double arrows indicate complex-valued information processing. Information indicated in orange is linked to options that can be either ordered at purchase or upgraded later. The ordering guide details the available upgrade options for the SHFQC Qubit Controller and whether the option can be upgraded directly in the field.
Quantum Analyzer Channel
The Quantum Analyzer readout channel has signal generation (Readout Pulse Generator,
Oscillator
) and signal analysis (Sweeper,
Qubit Measurement Unit
) functionality, as well as a Monitor Scope
. The digital, complex-valued signal from the signal generation is up-converted to microwave frequencies in the analog domain using the Quantum Analyzer Signal Output
Module. After passing through the device under test, the analog signal is first down-converted and then digitized in the Quantum Analyzer Signal Input
before the complex-valued signal is being analyzed in the Qubit Measurement Unit
.
The Quantum Analyzer channel can be configured in two modes:
- Qubit Readout
-
In the
Qubit Readout
mode, theReadout Pulse Generator
outputs the sum of up to 16 individual, user-defined arbitrary waveforms that are stored in separateWaveform Memory
blocks, controlled by theGenerator Sequencer
. In theQubit Measurement Unit
, the signal is then first integrated using up to 16 user-defined, complex-valuedIntegration Weight Memories
. The results of the integration are then discriminated between different qubit states, and the results are forwarded to either the Signal Generator channels or other instruments in real time using either the32-bit DIO
or theZSync
links. - Spectroscopy
-
In the
Spectroscopy
mode, theSweeper
controls anOscillator
, hence a single frequency microwave signal is sent to the experiment. TheQubit Measurement Unit
then correlates this signal with the original oscillator signal and displays transmission data in the Sweeper module.
Super-high-frequency Signal Inputs
-
Low-noise SHF Inputs, 0.5 - 8.5 GHz frequency range, 1 GHz bandwidth
-
Broadband double super-heterodyne frequency down-conversion
-
Calibrated (Input) Power Range, selectable from -50 dBm to 10 dBm
Super-high-frequency Signal Outputs
-
Low-noise SHF Outputs, 0.5 - 8.5 GHz frequency range, 1 GHz bandwidth
-
Broadband double super-heterodyne frequency up-conversion
-
Calibrated (Output) Power Range, selectable from -30 dBm to 10 dBm
Readout Pulse Generator
-
Arbitrary waveform capability
-
Advanced sequencing
-
looping, branching
-
advanced trigger control (time-staggered readout capability)
-
-
Up to 16 freely configurable waveform memory blocks of 4 kSa (total 64 kSa)
Qubit Measurement Unit
-
Up to 16 complex integrators with programmable Integration Weight memory (this requires the SHFQC-16W option.)
-
Multistate Discrimination for up to 4 states per qubit
-
Result Logger with real-time averaging and data logging.
Signal Generator Channel
Each of the 6 control channels has an arbitrary waveform generator AWG
and Modulation
functionality. The digital, complex-valued signal from the signal generation is up-converted to microwave frequencies in the analog domain using the Signal Generator Signal Output
Module.
Super-high-frequency Signal Outputs
-
Low-noise SHF Outputs, DC - 8.5 GHz frequency range, 1 GHz modulation bandwidth
-
Broadband double super-heterodyne frequency up-conversion
-
Calibrated (Output) Power Range, selectable from -30 dBm to 10 dBm when using the RF path and from -30 dBm to 5 dBm when using the LF path
Shared Resources
The Quantum Analyzer and Signal Generator channels share several functionalities that are used for communication (32-bit DIO,
ZSync
) and inter-channel synchronization (Hardware Trigger Engine
).
Hardware Trigger Engine
-
shared between all channels and modes
-
2 Marker Outputs and Trigger Inputs of the Quantum Analyzer channel
-
1 Marker Output and Trigger Input for each Signal Generator channel
High-speed Connectivity
-
SMA connectors on front and back panel for triggers, signals and external clock
-
USB 3.0 high-speed host interface
-
Maintenance USB connection
-
LAN/Ethernet 1 Gbit/s controller interface
-
DIO: 32-bit digital input-output port
-
2 ZSync connectors for clock synchronization and fast data transfer
-
Clock input/output connectors (10 MHz)
Software Features
-
LabOne Graphic User Interface: Web-based with multi-instrument control
-
Zurich Instruments LabOne Q software for high-level programming of quantum computing experiments.
-
Data server with multi-client support
-
LabOne APIs, including Python, C, LabVIEW, MATLAB, .NET
-
Turnkey software and firmware features for fast system tune-up
Front Panel Tour
The front panel SMA connectors and control LEDs are arranged as shown in Figure 2 and listed in Table 1.
Position | Label / Name | Description |
---|---|---|
A |
Aux In |
analog Auxiliary Input, max. 10 V |
B |
Out |
single-ended waveform Quantum Analyzer Signal Output, 0.5-8.5 GHz, max. 10 dBm |
C |
Mark |
Quantum Analyzer TTL Marker Outputs A and B |
D |
Trig |
Quantum Analyzer TTL Trigger Inputs A and B |
E |
In |
single-ended waveform Quantum Analyzer Signal Input, 0.5-8.5 GHz, max. 10 dBm |
F |
Trig |
Signal Generator TTL Trigger Input |
G |
Mark |
Signal Generator TTL Marker Output |
H |
Out |
single-ended waveform Signal Generator Signal Output, DC-8.5 GHz, max. 10 dBm |
I |
Aux In |
analog Auxiliary Input, max. 10 V |
J |
multicolor LEDs |
|
Busy |
unused |
|
Ext Ref |
|
|
ZSync |
|
|
Status |
|
|
K |
|
Power button with incorporated status LED
|
Back Panel Tour
The back panel is the main interface for power, control, service and connectivity to other ZI instruments. Please refer to Figure 3 and Table 2 for the detailed description of the items.
Position | Label / Name | Description |
---|---|---|
A |
Earth ground |
4 mm banana jack connector for earth ground, electrically connected to the chassis and the earth pin of the power inlet |
B |
AC 100 - 240 V |
Power inlet, fuse holder, and power switch |
C |
MDS 1 |
SMA: bidirectional TTL ports for multi-device synchronization |
D |
MDS 2 |
SMA: bidirectional TTL ports for multi-device synchronization |
E |
Maintenance |
Universal Serial Bus (USB) 3.0 port for maintenance and instrument control |
F |
LAN 1GbE |
1 Gbit LAN connector for instrument control |
G |
DIO 32bit |
32-bit digital input/output (DIO) connector |
H |
USB |
Universal Serial Bus (USB) 3.0 port connector → do not use for standard operation |
I |
ZSync Secondary |
Secondary inter-instrument synchronization bus connector Attention: This is not an Ethernet plug, connection to an Ethernet network might damage the instrument. |
J |
ZSync Primary |
Primary inter-instrument synchronization bus connector Attention: This is not an Ethernet plug, connection to an Ethernet network might damage the instrument. |
K |
External Clk In |
External Reference Clock Input (10 MHz/100 MHz) for synchronization with other instruments |
L |
External Clk Out |
External Reference Clock Output (10 MHz/100 MHz) for synchronization with other instruments |
Ordering Guide
Table 3 provides an overview of the available SHFQC products and option. Upgradeable features are options that can be purchased anytime without the need to send the Instrument back to Zurich Instruments.
Product code | Product name | Description | Field upgrade possible |
---|---|---|---|
SHFQC2 |
SHFQC Qubit Controller 2-Channel Configuration |
Base instrument with 2 SG channels enabled |
- |
SHFQC4 |
SHFQC Qubit Controller 4-Channel Configuration |
Base instrument with 4 SG channels enabled |
- |
SHFQC6 |
SHFQC Qubit Controller 6-Channel Configuration |
Base instrument with 6 SG channels enabled |
- |
SHFQC-2T4 |
SHFQC2 to SHFQC4 Upgrade Option |
Software Upgrades the SHFQC2 to a SHFQC4 |
yes |
SHFQC-2T6 |
SHFQC2 to SHFQC6 Upgrade Option |
Software Upgrades the SHFQC2 to a SHFQC6 |
yes |
SHFQC-4T6 |
SHFQC4 to SHFQC6 Upgrade Option |
Software Upgrades the SHFQC4 to a SHFQC6 |
yes |
SHFQC-16W |
SHFQC-16W Integration Weights Extension Option |
Option for all SHFQCs |
yes |
Channel | Feature | SHFQC2 | SHFQC4 | SHFQC6 | SHFQCX + SHFQC-16W |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quantum Analyzer |
Readout Channels |
1 |
|||
Number of independent RF readout bands (>1 GHz) |
1 |
||||
Number of integration weights |
8 |
8 |
8 |
16 |
|
Oscillators |
2 |
||||
Mixer-calibration-free analog frequency conversion |
yes |
||||
Frequency range |
0.5-8.5 GHz |
||||
Total number of Markers/Triggers |
2/2 |
||||
Vertical resolution Input/Output |
14 bit |
||||
Sequencing |
yes |
||||
Signal Generator |
Control Channels |
2 |
4 |
6 |
X |
Number of independent RF control bands (>1 GHz) |
1 |
2 |
3 |
see left |
|
Digital oscillators per channel |
8 |
||||
Mixer-calibration-free analog frequency upconversion |
yes |
||||
Frequency range |
DC-8.5 GHz |
||||
Total number of Markers/Triggers |
2/2 |
4/4 |
6/6 |
X/X |
|
Vertical resolution Output |
14 bit |
||||
Digital IQ modulation |
yes |
||||
Pulse-level Sequencing |
yes |
||||
Shared resources |
ZSync capability |
yes |
|||
USB 3.0 |
yes |
||||
LAN 1 Gbit/s |
yes |