Cryogen-free scanning gate microscope for the characterization of Si/Si$_{0.7}$Ge$_{0.3}$ quantum devices at milli-Kelvin temperatures

TL;DR

This paper presents a cryogen-free scanning gate microscope capable of operating at milli-Kelvin temperatures for detailed characterization of silicon-based quantum devices, enabling manipulation of quantum dot charge states.

Contribution

The development of a vibration-isolated, cryogen-free scanning gate microscope tailored for silicon quantum devices at mK temperatures is a novel tool for quantum device research.

Findings

Achieved ~2 nm RMS vibration noise in z-direction.

Successfully manipulated charge occupation in a Si quantum dot.

Demonstrated the microscope's capability for quantum device characterization.

Abstract

Silicon can be isotopically enriched, allowing for the fabrication of highly coherent semiconductor spin qubits. However, the conduction band of bulk Si exhibits a six-fold valley degeneracy, which may adversely impact the performance of silicon quantum devices. To date, the spatial characterization of valley states in Si remains limited. Moreover, techniques for probing valley states in functional electronic devices are needed. We describe here a cryogen-free scanning gate microscope for the characterization of Si/Si$_{0.7}$Ge$_{0.3}$ quantum devices at mK temperatures. The microscope is based on the Pan-walker design, with coarse positioning piezo stacks and a fine scanning piezo tube. A tungsten microscope tip is attached to a tuning fork for active control of the tip-to-sample distance. To reduce vibration noise from the pulse tube cooler, we utilize both active and passive vibration isolation mechanisms, and achieve a root-mean-square noise in $z$ of $\sim$ 2 nm. Our microscope is designed to characterize fully functioning Si/Si$_{0.7}$Ge$_{0.3}$ quantum devices. As a proof of concept, we use the microscope to manipulate the charge occupation of a Si quantum dot, opening up a range of possibilities for the exploration of quantum devices and materials.