Quantum-limited traveling-wave parametric amplifier based on DUV lithography-defined planar structures

TL;DR

This paper presents a scalable, low-loss traveling-wave parametric amplifier fabricated with DUV lithography, achieving broadband gain, near-quantum-limited noise, and compact design, advancing large-scale quantum computing hardware.

Contribution

It introduces a hybrid fabrication scheme combining DUV lithography with electron-beam-patterned Josephson junctions for scalable TWPA manufacturing.

Findings

Broadband gain from 3 to 11 GHz

Near-quantum-limited noise performance

Compact footprint with high uniformity

Abstract

The relentless scaling of classical microelectronics has been enabled by the precision and reproducibility of deep-ultraviolet (DUV) optical lithography. Implementing large-scale superconducting quantum processors will require cryogenic microwave components that follow a similarly scalable fabrication path. This need is particularly acute for high circuit-density devices such as traveling-wave parametric amplifiers (TWPAs), where recent implementations have demonstrated high gain, broad bandwidth, high saturation power, and near-quantum-limited noise, but trade-offs between footprint, insertion loss, and scalable integration remain. Here, we demonstrate a four-wave-mixing TWPA fabricated via a hybrid scheme that combines DUV-defined planar circuit elements with electron-beam-patterned Josephson junctions, constituting a first step toward fully scalable manufacturing. The device combines a compact footprint with broadband gain from 3 to 11 GHz and an average 1 dB compression point of -102 dBm. By using planar capacitors to reduce loss, it operates near the quantum limit, with added noise near 0 and 1.5 photons above the standard quantum limit and an average of 0.4 photons in the 4 to 8 GHz band. The phase-matching stopband remains narrow, with a bandwidth of 43 MHz, consistent with resonator-frequency variation below 1% and indicative of the uniformity enabled by DUV lithography. These results show that DUV-defined planar elements can enable compact, low-loss, near-quantum-limited TWPAs and provide a promising route toward high-density cryogenic microwave hardware for large-scale quantum systems.