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Integration Weights Measurement

Note

This tutorial is applicable to all SHFQC Instruments and no additional instrumentation is needed.

Goals and Requirements

The goal of this tutorial is to demonstrate how to use the SHFQC Scope to measure integration weights that are needed for high-fidelity single-shot readout using the LabOne User Interface (UI) and Zurich Instruments Toolkit API.

For qubit control with the SHFSG Signal Generator, the SHFQC Qubit Controller and the HDAWG Arbitrary Wave Generator, and instrument synchronization and feedback with the PQSC Programmable Quantum System Controller, see tutorials in the Online Documentation.

Preparation

Please follow the preparation steps in Connecting to the Instrument and connect the instrument in a loopback configuration as shown in Figure 1 or to a device under test.

Figure 1: SHFQC connection.

Tutorial

In the tutorial, readout signals are recorded while the qubit is in ground and excited state. The readout pulse is generated by the SHFQC Readout Pulse Generator, and the signal recording is done by the SHFQC Scope. The integration weight is derived from the difference of the recorded readout signals.

This section shows how to use LabOne UI to configure the instrument, run the measurement, monitor the measurement results and calculate the integration weight.

  1. Configure the instrument

    1. Set center frequency and power range of input and output signals

      Configure these parameters on the Input and Output Tab as in Figure 2 and in Table 1.

      Figure 2: Configurations on In/Out Tab.

      Table 1: Settings of QA Channel 1 on In/Out Tab
      Parameter Setting Description
      QA Channel Selection All Select All to display all QA Channels.
      Cent Freq (Hz) 5 GHz Set center frequency of the frequency sweep of QA Channel 1.
      Signal Input 1 On Enable Enable the Signal Input 1.
      Signal Input 1 Range (dBm) 0 dBm Set power range of Signal Input 1 to 0 dBm. This setting allows the instrument to acquire a input signal with a power up to 0 dBm.
      Signal Input 1 Input Path RF Set input path of Signal Input 1 to RF path.
      Signal Output 1 On Enable Enable the Signal Output 1.
      Signal Output 1 Range 0 dBm Set power range of Signal Output 1 to 0 dBm. This setting allows the instrument to output a signal with a power up to 0 dBm.
      Signal Output 1 Output Path RF Set output path of the Signal Output 1 to RF path.
    2. Upload and compile measurement sequence

      The measurement sequence is defined on the Sequence Sub-Tab of the Readout Pulse Generator Tab, see Table 2.

      Table 2: Settings of QA Channel 1 on Readout Pulse Generator Tab.
      Parameter Setting Description
      QA channel Selection 1 Select QA channel 1.
      Sub-Tab Display Sequence Select Sequence sub-tab and paste the sequence program below. The Waveform Viewer sub-tab displays waveforms saved in Waveform Memory slots and Integration Weight units.
      Compile Click "To Device" Compile the sequence program by clicking "To Device".
      Digital Triggers Digital Trigger 1 Select Digital Trigger 1.
      Digital Trigger 1 Signal Internal Trigger Select Internal Trigger as the trigger source of Digital Trigger 1.
      Return Disable Disable return function.
      Run/Stop Enable Run the sequence.

      Below is the the sequence program for the measurement. In the loop, the waitDigTrigger command waits a trigger (see Table 3) to continue the sequence, the startQA command sends a trigger to generate output waveform and start integration, it also sends a Sequencer Monitor Trigger (third argument of the startQA command) to trigger SHFQC Scope to record input signal before integration. The measurement is repeated 100 times to get averaged readout pulses according to qubit prepared in ground and excited state.

      // repeat sequence 100 times, i.e. readout qubit in group state and excited state, and then repeat this 50 times 
      repeat (100) {
          // wait for a trigger over ZSync. Assume the trigger period is longer than the cycle time
          // waitZSyncTrigger();
      
          // alternatively wait for a trigger from digital trigger 1
          waitDigTrigger(1);
      
          // play readout waveform stored in Waveform Memory slot 1, send a trigger to start integration, and send a Sequencer Monitor trigger to trigger the Scope 
          startQA(QA_GEN_0, QA_INT_0, true);
      }
      

      The digital trigger set on the Trigger sub-tab is Internal Trigger. The configuration of the internal is shown in and Table 3.

      Table 3: Settings of Internal Trigger on DIO Setup Tab, see details on
      Parameter Setting Description
      Repetitions 100 Set number of repetitions.
      Holdoff (s) 100u Set holdoff time to 100 \(\mu\)s.
      Synchronization Disabled Disable Synchronization.
      Run/Stop Disable Disable the internal trigger.
    3. Configure signal generation

      Signal generation is defined on QA Setup Tab, see Figure 3 and Table 4. Since we are only interested in the signal before integration, the settings for integration weights is not needed.

      Figure 3: Configurations on QA Setup Tab.

      Table 4: Settings of QA Channel 1 on QA Setup Tab.
      Parameter Setting Description
      QA Channel Selection 1 Select QA Channel 1.
      Application Mode Readout Use Readout mode for integration weight measurement.
      Clear Waveform Click "Clear" Clear all waveforms saved in Waveform Memory. Clear all waveforms before uploading new ones to avoid incorrect waveform generation or output overflow.
      Waveform Memory 1 Set Mode Parametric Generate waveform parametrically in Waveform Memory slot 1. The parametrically generated waveform is \(Ae^{i (2 \pi f t + \frac{\pi}{180}\phi)}\), where \(A\) is the dimensionless amplitude factor of the waveform, \(f\) is the frequency in units of Hz, \(\phi\) is the phase in units of degree.
      Amplitude 0.5 Set amplitude factor \(A\) to 0.5.
      Frequency (Hz) 10M Set readout frequency \(f\) to 10 MHz.
      Phase (Deg) 0 Set phase \(\phi\) to 0 degree.
      Window Length 4096 Set length of the readout waveform in number of samples.
      Set To Device click "Set To Device" Upload the parametrically generated waveform to Waveform Memory slot 1.
    4. Configure SHFQC Scope

      The SHFQC Scope is configured to record readout pulses before integration, and display averaged readout pulses according to qubit in ground state and excited state, see Figure 4 and Table 5.

      Figure 4: Configurations on Scope Tab.

      Table 5: Settings on Scope Tab
      Parameter Setting Description
      Horizontal Mode Time Display data in time-domain.
      Horizontal Length (pts) 4096 Set recording length in number of samples. This setting has to be \(\ge\) readout pulse length.
      Channel 1 Signal Selection Signal Input 1 Monitor signal comes from Signal Input 1 on Scope Channel 1.
      Channel 1 Enable Enable Enable Scope Channel 1.
      HW Averaging Enable Enable hardware averaging.
      Averages 50 Set number of averages to 50. This setting matches what is defined in the sequence program.
      Display Mode Scope Display the Scope trace. Enable "2D" if 2D trace is desired.
      Add Signal Scope Wave Channel 1 I and Q Add Scope Wave Channel 1 I and Scope Wave Channel 1 Q to the plot.
      Trigger Mode Enable Enable trigger mode so that scope recording starts only after receiving a trigger.
      Trigger Signal Sequencer 1 Monitor Trigger Select Sequencer 1 Monitor Trigger as the trigger to trigger the Scope.
      Trigger Delay (s) 224n Set trigger delay to 224 ns. The Scope starts to record data 224 ns later after receiving a trigger. This setting must has to match signal propagation delay including internal delay about 224 ns and external delay depending on the signal path between the front panel Signal Output port and Signal Input port.
      Segments Enable Enable Enable Segments measurement. In Segments measurement, the scope records \(n \times m\) data, where \(n\) is the number of segments, \(m\) is the recording length in number of samples.
      Segments 2 Set number of segments to 2. 1 for recording readout pulse when qubit in groud state, another for qubit in excited state.
      Run Mode Single Using Single mode for the measurement.
  2. Run the measurement

    By clicking "Run/Stop" icon on the System Settings sub-tab of DIO tab, the measurement is started and finished in seconds.

  3. Monitor the measurement results and calculate the integration weight

    The recorded readout pulses are displayed on the Scope Tab, as shown in Figure 5. The integration weights is calculated by taking the difference of the measured traces according to the qubit is in ground state and excited state.

    Figure 5: Recorded readout pulses on Scope Tab.

  1. Connect the instrument

    Create a toolkit session to the data server and connect the device with the device ID, e.g. 'DEV12001', see Connecting to the Instrument.

    # Load the LabOne API and other necessary packages
    from zhinst.toolkit import Session, SHFQAChannelMode, Waveforms
    from scipy.signal import gaussian
    import numpy as np
    
    DEVICE_ID = 'DEVXXXXX'
    SERVER_HOST = 'localhost'
    
    session = Session(SERVER_HOST)              ## connect to data server
    device = session.connect_device(DEVICE_ID)  ## connect to device
    
  2. Generate readout pulses

    In the tutorial, the envelope of the readout waveforms is flat-top Gaussian with pulse length of 500 ns and rise and fall time of 10 ns, amplitude factor of 0.9, and 8 readout frequencies span from 32 MHz to 120 MHz. The amplitude factor is not scaled by the number of qubits as in Multiplexed Qubit Readout because the readout output signal is generated from one of the readout waveforms, see the sequence program in the following section. The zhinst-toolkit class Waveforms is for converting waveform data written in Python to data that can be uploaded to the instrument correctly.

    NUM_QUBITS = 8
    SAMPLING_FREQUENCY = 2e9
    RISE_FALL_TIME = 10e-9
    PULSE_DURATION = 500e-9
    
    rise_fall_len = int(RISE_FALL_TIME * SAMPLING_FREQUENCY)
    pulse_len = int(PULSE_DURATION * SAMPLING_FREQUENCY)
    std_dev = rise_fall_len // 10
    
    gauss = gaussian(2 * rise_fall_len, std_dev)
    flat_top_gaussian = np.ones(pulse_len)
    flat_top_gaussian[0:rise_fall_len] = gauss[0:rise_fall_len]
    flat_top_gaussian[-rise_fall_len:] = gauss[-rise_fall_len:]
    # Scaling
    flat_top_gaussian *= 0.9
    
    readout_pulses = Waveforms()
    time_vec = np.linspace(0, PULSE_DURATION, pulse_len)
    
    for i, f in enumerate(np.linspace(2e6, 32e6, NUM_QUBITS)):
        readout_pulses.assign_waveform(
            slot=i,
            wave1=flat_top_gaussian * np.exp(2j * np.pi * f * time_vec)
        )
    
  3. Configure the channel

    Configure center frequency, input and output power range and application mode of the channel using qachannels[n].configure_channel, turn on the Input and Output, and upload the readout waveforms using generator.write_to_waveform_memory.

    # configure inputs and outputs
    CHANNEL_INDEX = 0 # physical Channel 1
    
    device.qachannels[CHANNEL_INDEX].configure_channel(
        center_frequency=5e9, # in units of Hz
        input_range=0, # in units of dBm
        output_range=-5, # in units of dBm
        mode=SHFQAChannelMode.READOUT, # SHFQAChannelMode.READOUT or SHFQAChannelMode.SPECTROSCOPY
    )
    device.qachannels[CHANNEL_INDEX].input.on(1)
    device.qachannels[CHANNEL_INDEX].output.on(1)
    
    # write waveforms to the Waveform Memory
    device.qachannels[CHANNEL_INDEX].generator.write_to_waveform_memory(readout_pulses)
    
  4. Configure the Scope

    Configure the Scope to record 2 segments of data with length of 500 ns which are averaged 50 times using scopes[n].configure. The trigger of the Scope is1 Sequencer 1 Monitor Trigger which is enabled by the startQA command.

    SCOPE_CHANNEL = 0
    RECORD_DURATION = 500e-9 # in units of second
    NUM_SEGMENTS = 2
    NUM_AVERAGES = 50
    NUM_MEASUREMENTS = NUM_SEGMENTS * NUM_AVERAGES
    SAMPLING_FREQUENCY = 2e9 # in units of Hz
    
    device.scopes[0].configure(
        input_select={SCOPE_CHANNEL: f"channel{CHANNEL_INDEX}_signal_input"},
        num_samples=int(RECORD_DURATION * SAMPLING_FREQUENCY),
        trigger_input=f"channel{CHANNEL_INDEX}_sequencer_monitor0", # Sequencer 1 monitor trigger
        num_segments=NUM_SEGMENTS,
        num_averages=NUM_AVERAGES,
        trigger_delay=214e-9, # record the data 214 ns later after receiving a trigger
    )
    
  5. Configure and run the measurement, and calculate the integration weights

    In the measurement, the Sequencer is triggered by Internal Trigger using configure_sequencer_trigger.

    The integration weights for different qubits are measured sequentially with the for loop. In each loop, the seqc_program is different and is uploaded to the instrument using load_sequencer_program, both Scope and Sequencer run in Single mode set by scopes[n].run and enable_sequencer respectively, the Generator sends 100 pulses to readout 1 of the qubits prepared in ground and excited state, and the Scope acquires 2 segments of data which are averaged 50 times (see ), and the data is downloaded using scopes[n].read, and integration weights are calculated in the end.

    results = []
    
    device.qachannels[CHANNEL_INDEX].generator.configure_sequencer_triggering(
        aux_trigger=8,# internal trigger
        play_pulse_delay=0, # 0s delay between startQA trigger and the readout pulse
    )
    device.system.internaltrigger.repetitions(int(NUM_SEGMENTS * NUM_AVERAGES))
    device.system.internaltrigger.holdoff(100e-6)
    
    for i in range(NUM_QUBITS):
        qubit_result = {
            'weights': None,
            'ground_states': None,
            'excited_states': None
        }
        print(f"Measuring qubit {i}.")
    
        # upload sequencer program
        seqc_program = f"""
            repeat({NUM_MEASUREMENTS}) {{
                waitDigTrigger(1);
                startQA(QA_GEN_{i}, 0x0, true,  0, 0x0); // only QA_GEN_{i} matters for this measurement
            }}
        """
        device.qachannels[CHANNEL_INDEX].generator.load_sequencer_program(seqc_program)
    
        # Start a measurement
        device.scopes[SCOPE_CHANNEL].run(single=True)
        device.qachannels[CHANNEL_INDEX].generator.enable_sequencer(single=True)
        device.system.internaltrigger.enable(1)
    
        # get results to calculate weights and plot data
        scope_data, *_ = device.scopes[0].read()
    
        # Calculates the weights from scope measurements
        # for the excited and ground states
        split_data = np.split(scope_data[SCOPE_CHANNEL], 2)
        ground_state_data = split_data[0]
        excited_state_data = split_data[1]
        qubit_result['ground_state_data'] = ground_state_data
        qubit_result['excited_state_data'] = excited_state_data
        qubit_result['weights'] = np.conj(excited_state_data - ground_state_data)
        results.append(qubit_result)
    

    The following code snippet can be used to plot readout traces () and calculate integration weights () of the last qubit.

    Note

    In order to achieve the highest possible resolution in the signal after integration, it’s advised to scale the dimensionless readout integration weights with a factor so that their maximum absolute value is equal to 1.

    import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
    
    fig, (ax0, ax1) = plt.subplots(nrows = 2, sharex = True)
    
    t = np.linspace(0, RECORD_DURATION, int(RECORD_DURATION * SAMPLING_FREQUENCY/16)*16)
    ax0.plot(t/1e-9, ground_state_data.real, '-', label = f'real')
    ax0.plot(t/1e-9, ground_state_data.imag, '-', label = f'imag')
    ax1.plot(t/1e-9, excited_state_data.real, '-', label = f'real')
    ax1.plot(t/1e-9, excited_state_data.imag, '-', label = f'imag')
    
    ax0.set_title('Ground state')
    ax1.set_title('Excited state')
    ax0.legend(loc='upper right')
    ax1.legend(loc='upper right')
    ax0.set_ylabel('Amplitude (Vrms)')
    ax1.set_ylabel('Amplitude (Vrms)')
    ax1.set_xlabel(r'Time (ns)')
    plt.tight_layout()
    
    plt.figure()
    plt.plot(t/1e-9, results[0]['weights'])
    plt.xlabel('Time (ns)')
    plt.ylabel('Amplitude (Vrms)')
    plt.tight_layout()
    

    Figure 6: Readout pulses recorded by the Scope in loopback configuration

    Figure 7: Integration weights calculated from the readout pulses