Cryogenic characterization and modeling of a CMOS floating-gate device for quantum control hardware

TL;DR

This paper characterizes and models a CMOS floating-gate device at cryogenic temperatures, enabling precise, programmable analog memory for quantum qubit control in large-scale quantum computers.

Contribution

It provides detailed characterization, modeling, and simulation of a floating-gate device at cryogenic temperatures, facilitating its use in quantum control hardware.

Findings

Device operation is fine-tuned at cryogenic temperatures.

Compact models accurately describe charge injection mechanisms.

Simulation models enable design of high-performance cryogenic analog circuits.

Abstract

We perform the characterization and modeling of a floating-gate device realized with a commercial 350-nm CMOS technology at cryogenic temperature. The programmability of the device offers a solution in the realization of a precise and flexible cryogenic system for qubits control in large-scale quantum computers. The device stores onto a floating-gate node a non-volatile charge, which can be bidirectionally modified by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling and impact-ionized hotelectron injection. These two injection mechanisms are characterized and modeled in compact equations both at 300 K and 15 K. At cryogenic temperature, we show a fine-tuning of the stored charge compatible with the operation of a precise analog memory. Moreover, we developed accurate simulation models of the proposed floating-gate device that set the stage for designing a programmable analog circuit with better performances and accuracy at a few Kelvin. This work offers a solution in the design of configurable analog electronics to be employed for accurately read out the qubit state at deep-cryogenic temperature.