Ion trap having reduced radio frequency (RF) current using multiple supply ports

Abstract

Various embodiments provide an ion trap or a system comprising an ion trap, the ion trap comprising a trapping portion and a radio frequency (RF) boundary electrode that forms a boundary of the trapping portion. The RF boundary electrode comprises or is in electrical communication with a plurality of supply ports. In an exemplary embodiment, the ion trap comprises a plurality of unit cells, each unit cell comprising a respective trapping portion, a respective RF boundary electrode that forms a boundary of the respective trapping portion, and a respective one of the plurality of supply ports.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 321979, filed May 23, 2023, which claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 367774, filed Jul. 6, 2022, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0002] Various embodiments relate to devices, systems, and methods for ion traps. Various embodiments relate to ion traps having a reduced radio - frequency (RF) current and a number of RF supply ports.

Background Art

[0003] An ion trap can use an electric field and / or a magnetic field to trap one or more ions in a potential well. Ions may be trapped for several purposes, some of which may include, for example, mass spectrometry, atomic frequency standard research, and / or control of quantum states (such as for quantum information processing, etc.). Many deficiencies of such conventional ion traps have been solved by applying efforts, ingenuity, and innovation to develop structured solutions according to embodiments of the present invention, and many examples thereof are described in detail herein.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] Exemplary embodiments provide an ion trap device, a quantum computer comprising the ion trap device, a quantum computer system comprising the ion trap device, etc., configured such that the ion trap has a reduced RF current (compared to conventional RF traps) using a number of RF supply ports.

[0006] Various embodiments provide an ion trap or a system comprising an ion trap configured to operate at a reduced RF current density by using a plurality of supply ports to apply a signal that creates an RF current density at the RF boundary electrode of the ion trap. In one exemplary embodiment, the ion trap comprises a trapping portion and an RF boundary electrode that forms a boundary of the trapping portion. The RF boundary electrode comprises or is in electrical communication with a plurality of supply ports.

[0007] In one exemplary embodiment, each of the plurality of supply ports is configured to apply a respective one of the plurality of RF currents and / or voltage signals to the RF boundary electrode.

[0008] In one exemplary embodiment, the plurality of RF currents and / or voltage signals are frequency synchronized.

[0009] In one exemplary embodiment, the respective positions of the plurality of supply ports and the respective phases of the plurality of RF currents and / or voltage signals are configured such that the phase of the current density generated at the RF boundary electrode by applying the plurality of RF currents and / or voltage signals to the RF boundary electrode by the plurality of supply ports is continuous at all points of the RF boundary electrode.

[0010] In one exemplary embodiment, the phase of the current density is smooth across all points of the RF boundary electrode.

[0011] In an exemplary embodiment, a plurality of RF currents and / or voltage signals are phase synchronized.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, each of a plurality of supply ports is configured to be in electrical communication with a respective one of one or more RF sources.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment, one or more RF sources comprise a plurality of RF sources, and each of the plurality of RF sources is (a) frequency locked to at least one other of the plurality of RF sources, (b) frequency locked to a common reference, or (c) frequency locked to at least one of a set of coupled references.

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment, each of a plurality of supply ports is configured to be in electrical communication with a respective one of one or more RF sources, and each of the one or more RF sources is configured to generate a respective RF current and / or voltage signal such that the respective supply port applies the respective RF current and / or voltage signal to an RF boundary electrode.

[0015] In an exemplary embodiment, the application of each respective RF current and / or voltage signal by each respective supply port creates an RF current density at the RF boundary electrode.

[0016] In an exemplary embodiment, the RF current density is less than the single supply port current density required to operate the ion trap if the ion trap comprises only a single supply port.

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of supply ports are disposed at respective positions around the RF boundary electrode such that each respective position is symmetric with respect to at least one axis defined by the RF boundary electrode.

[0018] In an exemplary embodiment, the ion trap comprises a plurality of unit cells, each unit cell comprising a respective trapping portion, a respective RF boundary electrode, and a respective supply port of the plurality of supply ports.

[0019] In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of unit cells is a tiling of the ion trap.

[0020] In an exemplary embodiment, each unit cell of the plurality of unit cells exhibits a characteristic of (a) a length that is less than or equal to a threshold length when each respective trapping portion includes a linear trapping region in a one-dimensional configuration, (b) an area that is less than or equal to a threshold area when each respective trapping portion includes a linear trapping region in a two-dimensional configuration, or (c) a volume that is less than or equal to a threshold volume when each respective trapping portion includes a linear trapping region in a three-dimensional configuration.

[0021] In an exemplary embodiment, a portion of each RF boundary electrode of a first unit cell and a portion of each RF boundary electrode of a second unit cell immediately adjacent to the first unit cell are the same physical electrode.

[0022] In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of supply ports is configured to reduce the conductive losses of the ion trap when the ion trap is operated.

[0023] In an exemplary embodiment, the RF boundary electrode is (a) a continuous RF electrode or (b) includes two or more electrically distinct RF electrodes.

[0024] In an exemplary embodiment, the ion trap is part of a quantum charge-coupled device (QCCD) type quantum computer, and an operable object trapped by the ion trap is used as a qubit of the QCCD type quantum computer.

[0025] In an exemplary embodiment, each of the plurality of supply ports is configured to be in electrical communication with a respective one of one or more RF sources, and a controller of a QCCD type quantum computer is configured to control the operation of one or more RF sources.

[0026] Although the present invention has been described in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027]

Fig. 1

Fig. 1A

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 3A

Fig. 4

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Fig. 7

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0028] Next, the present invention will be further described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings showing some, but not all, embodiments of the present invention. In fact, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments shown herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. The term "or" (also denoted " / ") is used herein in both an alternative sense and a conjunctive sense, unless otherwise indicated. The terms "explanatory" and "exemplary" are used as examples without indication of a quality level. The terms "generally" and "approximately" refer, unless otherwise indicated, within engineering and / or manufacturing limits and / or within the measurement capabilities of the user. The same numerals refer to the same elements throughout.

[0029] Conventionally, an ion trap comprises one or more radio frequency (RF) electrodes or rails. The RF electrodes and / or rails are supplied via a single supply port such that current diffuses (spreads) through the RF electrodes and / or rails throughout the trap. Application of an RF current or voltage to the RF electrodes and / or rails is configured to generate one or more linear trapping regions within the ion trap to trap operable objects. As used herein, an operable object is an object that can be manipulated and / or trapped by an ion trap, such as an ion, a multipolar atom or molecule, a charged molecule, and / or a charged particle.

[0030] As the size of the ion trap increases, the RF current applied to a single supply port is required to increase due to the conductive and dielectric losses of the ion trap that increase as the size of the ion trap increases. However, the increase in current causes an increase in the magnitude of the magnetic field generated by the current. The increase in the magnitude of the magnetic field causes a phase shift of the ions trapped within the ion trap. When these ions are used as qubits in a quantum computer, these phase shifts result in an increase in memory errors. For example, in a field insensitive qubit, these phase shifts increase with the magnitude B of the time-averaged magnetic field as the square of B (e.g., B 2 ), which results in the memory error expanding up to the fourth power of the magnitude B of the time-averaged magnetic field (e.g., B 4 ). In another example, in the case of a field-sensitive qubit, the decoherence of the qubit induced by the noise of the RF current increases as the square of the magnitude B of the time-averaged magnetic field (e.g., B 2 ). Therefore, a relatively small increase in the magnitude of the time-averaged magnetic field (also simply referred to as the magnitude of the magnetic field in this specification) can cause significant memory errors.

[0031] Therefore, there is a technical problem regarding a method for maintaining the RF current applied to the RF electrodes or rails of the ion trap such that a sufficient pseudo-trap potential is generated in all trapping regions of the ion trap, the magnitude of the magnetic field is minimized, and / or maintained at a reasonable level.

[0032] Furthermore, the RF current dissipates as the RF current spreads throughout the ion trap. This results in a large current density gradient throughout the ion trap, which in turn results in a large magnetic field gradient throughout the ion trap. This large magnetic field gradient can make it more difficult to predict and correct memory errors caused by the magnetic field.

[0033] Various embodiments provide technical solutions to these technical problems. Various embodiments provide an ion trap comprising an RF boundary electrode configured such that RF current and / or voltage is applied thereto via a number of supply ports, and / or a system comprising an ion trap. In various embodiments, the RF boundary electrode is an RF electrode that surrounds, encircles, and / or defines the boundary of at least a portion of the ion trap. For example, in various embodiments, the RF boundary surrounds, encircles, and / or defines the boundary of the trapping portion of the ion trap (e.g., the portion of the ion trap configured to trap manipulable objects such as ions, multipolar atoms / molecules, charged molecules, and / or charged particles).

[0034] In various embodiments, the RF boundary surrounds, encircles, and / or defines the boundary of one or more unit cells of the trapping portion of the ion trap. For example, in various embodiments, the trapping portion of the ion trap is tiled (uniformly or non-uniformly depending on the embodiment) by a plurality of unit cells. Each unit cell is bounded by an RF boundary electrode and / or a portion thereof. In various embodiments, each unit cell is associated with a respective supply port configured to be used when applying RF current and / or voltage to the RF boundary electrode that is the boundary of that respective unit cell.

[0035] In various embodiments, the supply ports are configured to apply RF current and / or voltage to the RF boundary electrode symmetrically about one or more axes of the ion trap and / or the trapping portion of the ion trap. In various embodiments, the ion trap and / or the system comprising the ion trap is configured such that the frequencies and / or phases of the RF current and / or voltage applied to each supply port are synchronized.

[0036] In various embodiments, the application of RF current and / or voltage at multiple points along the RF boundary electrode results in a smaller current being generated at the RF boundary electrode than in the case of a conventional ion trap supplied by a single RF supply port. This smaller current results in the generation of a smaller magnitude magnetic field. The smaller current also results in less heat being generated and / or dissipated by the RF boundary electrode. This reduction in the magnitude of the magnetic field and the heat generated and / or dissipated by the RF boundary electrode contributes to reducing the perturbation of a system including such an ion trap. For example, the reduction in the magnitude of the magnetic field and the heat generated and / or dissipated by the RF boundary electrode reduces memory errors in a quantum charge coupled device (QCCD) type quantum computer including an ion trap according to an exemplary embodiment as compared to a QCCD type quantum computer including a conventional ion trap.

[0037] Furthermore, the current gradient across the ion trap is smaller than in the case of a conventional ion trap supplied by a single RF supply port, which results in a smaller magnetic field gradient across the ion trap. The symmetric distribution of the supply ports and / or the distribution of the supply ports per unit cell of the ion trap enables the minimization of the current generated at the RF electrodes and the minimization of the magnetic field gradient across the magnetic field and the trapping portion of the ion trap. Thus, various embodiments improve the field of ion traps and systems comprising ion traps.

[0038] Some exemplary embodiments of ion traps each comprising a number of supply ports Various embodiments provide an ion trap having a number of and / or multiple supply ports. Each supply port is configured to receive an RF current and / or voltage signal and is electrically coupled to the RF boundary electrode of and / or a portion of the ion trap. By creating a current density that propagates through the RF boundary electrode at a number of points (e.g., by RF currents and / or voltage signals applied to the number of and / or multiple supply ports respectively), the magnitude of the current density is significantly reduced, which reduces the heat dissipated by the RF boundary electrode and the magnitude of the resulting magnetic field.

[0039] FIG. 1 provides a schematic view of an ion trap 100 with multiple supply ports, according to an exemplary embodiment. The ion trap 100 includes an RF boundary electrode 120 that is an RF electrode that surrounds, encircles, and / or defines the boundary of at least a portion of the trapping portion 110 of the ion trap 100. In an exemplary embodiment, the RF boundary electrode 120 is similar to the RF bus electrode disclosed by U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 049845 (Patent Document 1), filed on October 26, 2022, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. In an exemplary embodiment, the RF boundary electrode 120 is a continuous or single RF electrode. In an exemplary embodiment, the RF boundary electrode 120 is a segmented RF electrode and / or includes two or more electrically distinct RF electrodes (e.g., RF electrodes that do not directly communicate electrically with each other).

[0040] The trapping portion 110 defines one or more trapping regions and / or zones. For example, the trapping portion 110 may define a linear trapping region, a contiguous or series of connected linear trapping regions, a two-dimensional array of linear trapping regions, etc. In various embodiments, each linear trapping region may include one or more zones, and each zone is configured to perform one or more functions of an ion trap and / or a system comprising an ion trap. For example, a linear trapping region may comprise one or more zones configured such that a system comprising an ion trap performs one or more actions on one or more manipulable objects (e.g., such that one or more laser beams are incident on one or more manipulable objects to perform a logic gate, cooling operation, qubit readout operation, state preparation operation, etc.). For example, a linear trapping region may comprise one or more zones in which one or more manipulable objects being maintained and / or stored are maintained and / or stored such that they are not affected by actions being performed on other manipulable objects. The layout of the trapping portion 110 may vary between various embodiments depending on the application.

[0041] As shown with a part enlarged, the trapping portion 110 of the ion trap 100 includes one or more RF rails 112 (for example, 112A, 112B) and one or more series of segmented electrodes 114 (for example, 114A, 114B, 114C). Each series of segmented electrodes 114 includes a plurality of segmented electrodes 116 configured such that a continuous or series of direct current (DC) voltages are applied thereto. For example, in an exemplary embodiment, the RF rail 112 and the series of segmented electrodes 114 each including a plurality of segmented electrodes 116 are similar to the RF rail described in U.S. Patent No. 11,037,776, issued on June 15, 2021 (Patent Document 2), and a series of trapping and transport (TT) electrodes, and the content of this U.S. Patent is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into this specification.

[0042] The RF boundary electrode 120 includes a first supply port 130A and a second supply port 130B and / or is coupled in electrical communication therewith. Each of the first supply port 130A and the second supply port 130B is configured to receive a signal generated by a respective RF source 150 via a respective conductive line 140 (for example, 140A, 140B). In an exemplary embodiment, two or more supply ports 130 (for example, 130A, 130B) are configured to receive a signal generated by a common RF source 150 that is split by a splitter 155. In an exemplary embodiment, each supply port 130 is configured to receive a signal from a separate RF source 150. In an exemplary embodiment where each supply port 130 is configured to receive a signal from a separate RF source 150, each of the RF sources is frequency and / or phase locked to each other and / or frequency and / or phase locked independently to a common frequency and / or phase (for example, locked independently to a set of common oscillators and / or coupled oscillators).

[0043] In various embodiments, RF source 150 may be various types of RF signal generators. For example, in an exemplary embodiment, RF source 150 is one or more digital - to - analog conversion (DAC) RF signal generators, arbitrary waveform generators (AWGs), amplifier - resonator systems configured to provide amplified voltages from resonators (see, e.g., U.S. Patent No. 10804871, issued October 13, 2020 (Patent Document 3), the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference), and the like.

[0044] In the illustrated embodiment, the first and second supply ports 130A, 130B are each configured to receive respective RF current and / or voltage signals generated by RF source 150 and split via splitter 155. The lengths and / or other characteristics of the first and second conductive lines 140A, 140B are configured such that the RF current and / or voltage applied to the first supply port 130A is synchronized with the frequency and / or phase of the RF current and / or voltage applied to the second supply port 130B. In an exemplary embodiment, the magnitudes of the RF current and / or voltage applied to the first and second supply ports 130A and 130B are substantially the same. For example, splitter 155 and conductive lines 140A, 140B are configured in an exemplary embodiment to provide respective RF currents and / or voltages of equal magnitude and synchronized frequency and phase to the first and second supply ports 130A, 130B. For example, in various embodiments, the conductive line 140 (such as a sweep line) spreads fan - shaped from RF source 150 to ensure that the phase difference between the RF current and / or voltage signals applied to each supply port 130 is minimized.

[0045] In an exemplary embodiment, the phase and / or frequency of each RF current and / or voltage applied to the supply port 130 is configured such that the phase of the current density j propagating through the RF boundary electrode 120 is continuous and / or smooth (or has at least a continuous first derivative). For example, the phase and / or frequency of the RF current and / or voltage applied to the supply port 130 is configured such that the phase of the current density j is continuous and / or smooth (or has at least a continuous first derivative) at the position x = l / 2.

[0046] FIG. 1A shows a plot schematically representing, as a solid line, the decrease in the magnitude of the current density along the length of the RF boundary electrode 120 for the ion trap 100 with two supply ports 130 shown in FIG. 1, compared to a conventional ion trap configured such that an RF current and / or voltage signal (shown by a dashed line) is applied only to the first supply port 130A, which has the same shape and size as the ion trap 100. As can be seen from FIG. 1A, the maximum magnitude of the current density is significantly reduced in the ion trap 100 configured to receive RF current and / or voltage signals at a number of supply ports 130, compared to the conventional ion trap.

[0047] In this exemplary embodiment, the maximum current density is reduced by a factor of two. When the magnitude of the magnetic field scales linearly with the current density, the maximum magnitude of the magnetic field is also reduced by a factor of two. As explained above, in various types of qubits, the qubit phase shift scales with B 2 or B 4 Thus, a two-fold reduction in the magnitude of the magnetic field results in a four-fold or sixteen-fold reduction in the qubit phase shift in various types of qubits. This significant reduction in the qubit phase shift results in a significant reduction in memory errors. Thus, various embodiments of a QCCD type quantum computer including an ion trap according to an exemplary embodiment enable significantly reduced memory errors compared to conventional QCCD type quantum computers.

[0048] Figure 2 shows an ion trap 200 according to another exemplary embodiment. The ion trap 200 includes an RF boundary electrode 220 and a trapping portion 210. The RF boundary electrode 220 is in electrical communication with a plurality of supply ports 230 (e.g., 230A, 230B, 230C, …… 230N). In one exemplary embodiment, the supply ports 230 include vias and / or are in electrical communication with vias through which respective RF currents and / or voltage signals are applied to the RF boundary electrode 220 (via respective supply ports). For example, supply port 230A may include a via that extends over at least a portion of the chip and / or substrate on which the ion trap 200 is formed to electrically communicate supply port 230A with a corresponding RF source.

[0049] In one exemplary embodiment, each supply port 230 is in electrical communication with one or more RF traces or conductive lines 235 (e.g., 235A, 235B, 235C, 235D, ……, 235M). In such embodiments, RF currents and / or voltage signals may be applied to respective supply ports 230 via respective RF traces or conductive lines 235. In various embodiments, one or more RF sources are configured to provide and / or apply respective RF currents and / or voltage signals to respective supply ports 230 via respective RF traces or conductive lines 235.

[0050] In various embodiments, the plurality of supply ports 230 are in electrical communication with a plurality of RF sources. For example, in one exemplary embodiment, each supply port 230 is in electrical communication with a separate RF source. In other words, each RF source is in electrical communication with a single supply port 230. In one exemplary embodiment, an RF source is in electrical communication with two or more supply ports 230 (e.g., up to N supply ports, where N is the number of supply ports).

[0051] In various embodiments, the RF source, RF trace or conductive line 235, and / or via are configured such that the RF current and / or voltage signal applied to each supply port 230 is synchronized in frequency and / or phase with each of the other RF currents and / or voltage signals applied to each of the other supply ports 230. For example, the RF current and / or voltage signal applied to the first supply port 230A is synchronized in frequency and / or phase with each of the respective RF currents and / or voltage signals applied to the second supply port 230B, the third supply port 230C, and the Nth supply port 230N. In an exemplary embodiment, the magnitudes of the RF currents and / or voltage signals applied to each supply port 230 are equal and / or substantially equal.

[0052] In an exemplary embodiment, the relative frequencies and / or phases of the RF currents and / or voltage signals applied to each supply port 230 are configured such that the phase of the current density is continuous and / or smooth (or has at least a continuous first derivative) across the RF boundary electrode 220. For example, in an exemplary embodiment, each of the RF sources is frequency locked (to each other and / or to an external reference oscillator) such that the RF current and / or voltage signal applied to the supply port 230 is characterized by the same frequency, and the phase of the RF current and / or voltage signal applied to the supply port 230 is configured such that the phase of the current density j is continuous and / or smooth (or has at least a continuous first derivative) across the RF boundary electrode 220.

[0053] In an exemplary embodiment, the location where the supply port 230 is disposed around the RF boundary electrode 220 is symmetric with respect to one or more axes of the ion trap 200 and / or the RF boundary electrode 220. For example, the illustrated exemplary embodiment is symmetrically disposed (e.g., by mirror symmetry) around the RF boundary electrode 220 with respect to the first axis 260A of the ion trap 200 and / or the RF boundary electrode 220, and symmetrically disposed (e.g., by mirror symmetry) around the RF boundary electrode 220 with respect to the second axis 260B of the ion trap 200 and / or the RF boundary electrode 220, including the supply port 230. For example, the illustrated embodiment includes a supply port 230 that is symmetrically disposed (e.g., by rotational symmetry) with respect to the third axis 260C of the ion trap 200 and / or the RF boundary electrode 220.

[0054] The number and arrangement of the supply ports 230 enable the magnitude of the current density used to operate the ion trap 200 to be significantly reduced compared to a conventional ion trap of similar size and shape with a single supply port. Thus, the ion trap 200 exhibits less heating and a smaller magnetic field compared to a conventional ion trap of similar size and shape.

[0055] FIG. 3 provides a schematic view of an ion trap 300 including a plurality of unit cells 305 (e.g., 305A, 305B, 305C,..., 305Q). The unit cell 305 is a tile of the ion trap 300 in an exemplary embodiment. For example, the unit cell 305 may be a tile of the trapping portions 110, 210 of the ion traps 100, 200. Each unit cell 305 is associated with a respective supply port 330 (e.g., 330A, 330B, 330C,..., 330Q). As shown in FIG. 3A, each unit cell 305 includes a trapping portion 310 bounded by an RF boundary electrode 320. The RF boundary electrode 320 is in electrical communication with and / or includes each respective supply port 330.

[0056] In various embodiments, adjacent unit cells (e.g., 305A and 305B) share a common portion of the RF boundary electrode 320. For example, the side of the RF boundary electrode 320 of the first unit cell 305A closest to the second unit cell 305B and the side of the RF boundary electrode 320 of the second unit cell 305B closest to the first unit cell 305A are the same physical electrode in an exemplary embodiment.

[0057] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the unit cell 305 is a uniform tile of the ion trap 300. For example, each of the unit cells 305 has the same geometric shape. For example, the geometric shape of the first unit cell 305A is the same as the geometric shapes of the second unit cell 305B, the third unit cell 305C, and the Qth unit cell 305Q.

[0058] In various embodiments, the unit cells are not uniform tiles of the ion trap. For example, FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of an ion trap 400 in which the unit cell 405 is not a uniform tile of the ion trap 400. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, each of the unit cells 405 is associated with a respective supply port 430. Each of the unit cells 405 is bounded such that each unit cell includes an RF boundary electrode that forms the boundary of the respective trapping portion.

[0059] In various embodiments, each of the unit cells 305, 405 of the ion traps 300, 400 does not define an area greater than a set area and / or area threshold (when the trapping portion 310 includes a two-dimensional linear trapping region), or a length or length threshold (when the trapping portion is a one-dimensional linear trapping region), and is divided into unit cells 305, 405. For example, each of the unit cells 305, 405 defines an area that is less than or equal to the set area and / or area threshold. Each of the unit cells 305, 405 is associated with respective supply ports 330, 430. For example, in various embodiments, the RF boundary electrodes 320 of each unit cell 305, 405 receive respective RF currents and / or voltage signals generated by respective RF sources (e.g., via RF traces or conductive lines, vias, etc.) and are in electrical communication with (e.g., electrically coupled to) respective supply ports 330, 430 configured to provide the respective RF currents and / or voltage signals to the respective RF boundary electrodes 320, and / or include respective supply ports 330, 430. In an exemplary embodiment, each unit cell 305, 405 is associated with the same number of supply ports 330, 430. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, each unit cell 305, 405 is associated with one supply port 330, 430. In an exemplary embodiment, each unit cell 305, 405 is associated with two supply ports 330, 430. In various embodiments, additional supply ports 330, 430 for each of the unit cells 305, 405 may be included, and the unit cells with respect to the number of associated supply ports may be invariant across the ion trap.

[0060] In an exemplary embodiment where the trapping portion includes a one-dimensional linear trapping region, each of the unit cells defines a length that is less than or equal to the set length and / or length threshold. In an exemplary embodiment where the trapping portion includes a three-dimensional linear trapping region, each of the unit cells defines a volume that is less than or equal to the set volume and / or volume threshold.

[0061] In an exemplary embodiment, each unit cell 305, 405 may be individually actuated. For example, a user may want to use only the first unit cell 305A, or only the first and second unit cells 305A, 305B, or only the first, second, and Qth unit cells 305A, 305B, 305Q. In such cases, an RF current and / or voltage signal may be applied only to the supply port 330 associated with the unit cell(s) the user wishes to use. This allows the magnitude of the heating and magnetic field to be reduced when full trapping is not required.

[0062] In various embodiments, the magnitude of each RF current and / or voltage signal applied to each supply port 330, 430 (associated with the unit cells 305, 405 in use) is equal to and / or substantially equal to each other. In various embodiments, the magnitude of each RF current and / or voltage signal applied to each supply port 330, 430 (associated with the unit cells 305, 405 in use) is configured to provide a minimized current density gradient and / or magnetic field gradient across the ion traps 300, 400 (or at least across the unit cells 305, 405 in use).

[0063] In various embodiments, RF sources, vias, and / or RF traces or conductive lines configured to generate and / or supply respective RF current and / or voltage signals to respective supply ports 330, 430 are configured to provide respective RF current and / or voltage signals that are frequency and / or phase synchronized with each other. For example, a single RF source may be used to generate multiple RF current and / or voltage signals (e.g., using splitters, amplifiers, etc.) such that each of the RF current and / or voltage signals has the same frequency and / or phase. For example, multiple RF sources may be frequency locked and / or phase locked to a common reference (e.g., a reference oscillator) and / or a coupled reference such that each of the RF current and / or voltage signals is frequency and / or phase synchronized (e.g., has the same frequency and / or phase).

[0064] In various embodiments, RF sources, vias, and / or RF traces or conductive lines configured to generate and / or supply respective RF current and / or voltage signals to respective supply ports 330, 430 are configured to provide respective RF current and / or voltage signals such that the current density at the RF boundary electrode 320 is continuous and / or smooth (or has at least a continuous first derivative) across the ion traps 300, 400.

[0065] Exemplary quantum computer including an ion trap having a plurality of supply ports Ion traps are incorporated into various systems used to study and / or utilize manipulable objects. For example, an ion trap may be used to perform mass spectrometry of a manipulable object. In another example, an ion trap may be used to confine a manipulable object such that the quantum state of the manipulable object can be manipulated and / or evolved in a controlled manner. For example, the manipulable object may be used as a qubit of a QCCD type quantum computer.

[0066] Various embodiments provide various systems comprising an ion trap configured to reduce conductive losses and / or heating and / or magnetic fields caused by RF current density propagating around the ion trap (e.g., around an RF boundary electrode of the ion trap). One exemplary such system is a QCCD type quantum computer comprising an ion trap having a plurality and / or multiple supply ports.

[0067] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary quantum computer system 500 including ion traps 100, 200, 300, 400, according to an exemplary embodiment. In various embodiments, the quantum computer system 500 includes a computing entity 10 and a quantum computer 510 (e.g., a QCCD type quantum computer). In various embodiments, the quantum computer 510 includes a controller 30, a cryostat and / or vacuum chamber 40 that confines the ion trap 520, and one or more operation sources 60. In various embodiments, the ion trap 520 includes a plurality and / or multiple supply ports configured to apply respective RF current and / or voltage signals to one or more RF boundary electrodes of the ion trap 520. For example, in various embodiments, the ion trap 520 is the ion trap 100, 200, 300, 400 and / or is similar to the ion trap 100, 200, 300, 400.

[0068] In an exemplary embodiment, the one or more operation sources 60 may include one or more lasers (e.g., an optical laser, a microwave source, etc.). In various embodiments, the one or more operation sources 60 are configured to manipulate and / or cause the evolution of a controlled quantum state of one or more manipulable objects trapped within and / or confined by the ion trap 520. For example, in an exemplary embodiment, the one or more operation sources 60 comprise one or more lasers, and the lasers may provide one or more laser beams to the ion trap 520 within the cryogenic and / or vacuum chamber 40. In various embodiments, the quantum computer 510 comprises one or more voltage sources 50. For example, the voltage source 50 may include one or more RF sources configured to generate and provide respective RF currents and / or voltage signals to a number and / or plurality of supply ports of the ion trap 520. In various embodiments, the one or more RF sources of the voltage source 50 are configured to provide respective RF currents and / or voltage signals such that the respective RF currents and / or voltage signals are synchronized in frequency and / or phase with each other. In various embodiments, the one or more RF sources of the voltage source 50 are configured to provide respective RF currents and / or voltage signals such that the phase of the current density propagating around the ion trap 520 is continuous and / or smooth (or has at least a continuous first derivative). For example, the phase of the current density propagating through the RF boundary electrodes of the ion trap 520 is continuous and / or smooth (or has at least a continuous first derivative) at all points of the RF boundary electrodes. The one or more RF sources of the voltage source 50 may be electrically coupled to the RF boundary electrodes of the ion trap 520 via RF traces, conductive lines, vias, etc.

[0069] In various embodiments, computing entity 10 is configured to enable a user to provide input to quantum computer 510 (e.g., via a user interface of computing entity 10), receive output from quantum computer 510, view the output, etc. Computing entity 10 may communicate with controller 30 of quantum computer 510 via one or more wired or wireless networks 20 and / or directly via wired and / or wireless communication. In an exemplary embodiment, computing entity 10 may convert, configure, format, etc., information / data, quantum computing algorithms, etc., into a computing language, executable instructions, a command set, etc., that can be understood and / or implemented by controller 30.

[0070] In various embodiments, controller 30 is configured to control voltage source 50, a cryogenic system and / or a vacuum system that controls temperature and pressure within cryogenic and / or vacuum chamber 40, operation source 60, and / or other systems that control various environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure, etc.) within cryogenic and / or vacuum chamber 40, and / or is configured to manipulate and / or cause a controlled evolution of the quantum state of one or more manipulable objects within ion trap 520. In various embodiments, manipulable objects trapped within and / or confined by ion trap 520 are used as qubits of quantum computer 510.

[0071] Technical Advantages Various embodiments provide technical solutions to technical problems related to the generation and operation of larger ion traps. For example, in various scenarios, it is desirable to increase the number of manipulable objects that can be trapped and / or confined by an ion trap. For example, in the case of a QCCD-type quantum computer that includes an ion trap and uses trapped and / or confined manipulable objects as qubits, increasing the number of manipulable objects that can be confined by the ion trap will increase the number of qubits available for executing quantum programs and / or circuits. However, as the size of the ion trap increases, the conductive losses caused by the increase in the area of the RF electrodes of the ion trap, and the magnetic fields generated by the larger RF current density required to operate the increased RF electrode area also increase. This can result in excessive heating (e.g., due to increased conductive losses) and significant memory loss errors (e.g., due to stronger magnetic fields). In addition, the current density and the resulting magnetic field have significant gradients across the ion trap, which makes it more difficult to determine and / or correct memory errors due to excessive heating and magnetic fields.

[0072] Various embodiments provide technical solutions to these technical problems. Specifically, various embodiments provide an ion trap having an RF boundary electrode that forms the boundary of the trapping portion of the ion trap and / or a system having an ion trap. The RF boundary electrode comprises and / or is in electrical communication with a number of and / or a plurality of supply ports. Each supply port is configured to apply a respective RF current and / or voltage signal to the RF boundary electrode. In various embodiments, the respective RF current and / or voltage signals are synchronized in frequency and / or phase. In various embodiments, the respective phases of the respective RF current and / or voltage signals are configured such that the phase of the current density is continuous and / or smooth (or has at least a continuous first derivative) across the ion trap. The multiple supply port configuration of the ion trap allows the RF electrode (e.g., RF boundary electrode, RF rail, etc.) to be effectively operated using a smaller magnitude of current density compared to a conventional ion trap of similar shape and size. This smaller magnitude of current density results in less heating due to conduction losses and a smaller magnitude of the magnetic field generated by the current density. This in turn leads to a reduction in memory errors in exemplary systems such as QCCD-type quantum computers having an ion trap with a number of and / or a plurality of supply ports compared to conventional ion traps (e.g., ion traps having a single supply port or a single supply port per electrode). Thus, various embodiments provide improvements in the field of ion traps and systems having ion traps.

[0073] Exemplary controller In various embodiments, the ion trap 520 is incorporated into the quantum computer 510. In various embodiments, the quantum computer 510 further includes a controller 30 configured to control various elements of the quantum computer 510. For example, the controller 30 may be configured to control a voltage source 50, a cryogenic system and / or a vacuum system that controls the temperature and pressure within the cryogenic and / or vacuum chamber 40, an operation source 60, and / or other systems that control environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity, pressure, etc.) within the cryogenic and / or vacuum chamber 40, and / or to manipulate and / or cause a controlled evolution of the quantum state of one or more manipulable objects trapped within and / or captured by the ion trap 520.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 6, in various embodiments, the controller 30 may include various controller elements including a processing element 605, a memory 610, a driver controller element 615, a communication interface 620, an analog-to-digital converter element 625, and the like. For example, the processing element 605 may include a programmable logic device (CPLD), a microprocessor, a coprocessing entity, an application specific instruction set processor (ASIP), an integrated circuit, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic array (PLA), a hardware accelerator, other processing devices and / or circuits, and / or a controller. The term circuit may refer to a purely hardware embodiment or a combination of hardware and a computer program product. In an exemplary embodiment, the processing element 605 of the controller 30 includes and / or communicates with a clock.

[0075] For example, the memory 610 may include non-transitory memory such as volatile or non-volatile memory storage, such as one or more of a hard disk, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, MMC, SD memory card, memory stick, CBRAM, PRAM, FeRAM, RRAM, SONOS, racetrack memory, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, FPM DRAM, EDO DRAM, SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM, RDRAM, RIMM, DIMM, SIMM, VRAM, cache memory, register memory, and the like. In various embodiments, the memory 610 may store qubit records corresponding to qubits of a quantum computer (such as a qubit record data store, a qubit record database, a qubit record table, etc.), a calibration table, executable queues, computer program code (such as one or more computer languages, a specialized controller language, etc.). In an exemplary embodiment, execution of at least a portion of the computer program code stored in the memory 610 (such as by the processing element 605) causes the controller 30 to execute one or more steps, operations, processes, procedures, etc. for executing a quantum program or circuit, and causes the RF source of the voltage source 50 to generate and / or provide an RF current and / or voltage signal to respective supply ports and the like.

[0076] In various embodiments, the driver controller element 615 may include one or more drivers and / or controller elements each configured to control one or more drivers. In various embodiments, the driver controller element 615 may include a driver and / or a driver controller. For example, the driver controller may be configured such that one or more corresponding drivers operate according to executable instructions, commands, etc. scheduled and executed by the controller 30 (e.g., by the processing element 605). In various embodiments, the driver controller element 615 may enable the controller 30 to operate the operation source 60. In various embodiments, the driver may be a laser driver, a vacuum component driver, a driver for controlling the flow of current and / or voltage applied to the electrodes of the ion trap 520, a cryogenic and / or vacuum system component driver, and the like. In various embodiments, the controller 30 includes means for communicating and / or receiving signals from one or more light receiver components such as a camera, a MEMs camera, a CCD camera, a photodiode, a photomultiplier tube, and the like. For example, the controller 30 may include one or more analog-to-digital converter elements 625 configured to receive signals from one or more light receiver components, calibration sensors, and the like.

[0077] In various embodiments, the controller 30 may include a communication interface 620 that serves as an interface to the computing entity 10 and / or communicates with the computing entity 10. For example, the controller 30 may receive executable instructions, command sets, etc. from the computing entity 10, and outputs received from (e.g., from the optical collection system) and / or generated by the quantum computer 510 and / or results of processing the outputs, and may include a communication interface 620 for providing the same to the computing entity 10. In various embodiments, the computing entity 10 and the controller 30 may communicate directly via wired and / or wireless communication and / or via one or more wired and / or wireless networks 20.

[0078] Exemplary computing entity FIG. 7 shows an exemplary schematic representation of an illustrative computing entity 10 that may be used in conjunction with embodiments of the present invention. In various embodiments, the computing entity 10 is configured to enable a user to provide inputs to the quantum computer 510 (e.g., via a user interface of the computing entity 10), receive, display, analyze, etc. outputs from the quantum computer 510.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 7, the computing entity 10 can include an antenna 712, a transmitter 704 (e.g., a radio), a receiver 706 (e.g., a radio), and a processing element 708 that provides signals to the transmitter 704 and receives signals from the receiver 706, respectively. The signals provided to the transmitter 704 and received from the receiver 706 may include signaling information / data in accordance with the air interface standard of a wireless system applicable for communicating with various entities such as the controller 30, other computing entities 10, etc. In this regard, the computing entity 10 may be capable of operating with one or more air interface standards, communication protocols, modulation types, and access types. For example, the computing entity 10 may be configured to receive and / or provide communications using a wired data transmission protocol such as Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), Ethernet, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Frame Relay, Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS), or any other wired transmission protocol.Similarly, computing entity 10 may be configured to communicate via a wireless external communication network using any of a variety of protocols such as General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000), CDMA2000 1X (1xRTT), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA (R)), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), Wi-Fi Direct, 802.16 (WiMAX), Ultra Wideband (UWB), Infrared (IR) protocol, Near Field Communication (NFC) protocol, Wibree, Bluetooth (R) protocol, Wireless Universal Serial Bus (USB) protocol, and / or any other wireless protocol. Computing entity 10 may use such protocols and specifications to communicate using protocols such as Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), Domain Name System (DNS), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), HTTP over TLS / SSL / Secure, Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Network Time Protocol (NTP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Telnet, Transport Layer Security (TLS), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Datagram Congestion Control Protocol (DCCP), Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), etc.

[0080] These communication standards and protocols allow computing entity 10 to communicate with various other entities using concepts such as Unstructured Supplementary Service Information / Data (USSD), Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency Signaling (DTMF), and / or Subscriber Identity Module Dialer (SIM Dialer). Computing entity 10 can also download changes, add-ons, and updates to, for example, the firmware, software (including executable instructions, applications, program modules), and operating system of computing entity 10. In various embodiments, computing entity 10 includes a network interface 720 configured to communicate via one or more wired and / or wireless networks.

[0081] Computing entity 10 may also include one or more user input / output interfaces (e.g., a display 716 and / or a speaker / speaker driver coupled to processing element 708, and a touch screen, keyboard, mouse, and / or microphone coupled to processing element 708). For example, the user output interface may be configured to display or aurally present information / data and for interaction therewith via one or more user input interfaces, for an application, browser, user interface, interface, dashboard, screen, web page, page, and / or similar terms used interchangeably herein that are running on or accessible via computing entity 10. The user input interface may include any number of devices that enable computing entity 10 to receive data, such as a keypad 718 (hard or soft), a touch display, a voice / sound or motion interface, a scanner, a reader, or other input devices. In embodiments including keypad 718, keypad 718 may include conventional numbers (0-9) and associated keys (#, *), and other keys used to operate computing entity 10, and may include a full set of alphabet keys, or a set of keys that can be activated to provide a full set of alphanumeric keys. In addition to providing input, the user input interface may be used to activate or deactivate some functions, such as a screen saver and / or sleep mode, for example. Through such input, computing entity 10 can collect information / data, user interaction / input, etc.

[0082] Computing entity 10 may include volatile storage or memory 722 and / or non-volatile storage or memory 724, which may be embedded and / or removable. For example, non-volatile memory may be ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, MMC, SD memory card, memory stick, CBRAM, PRAM, FeRAM, RRAM, SONOS, racetrack memory, etc. Volatile memory may be RAM, DRAM, SRAM, FPM DRAM, EDO DRAM, SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, DDR2 SDRAM, DDR3 SDRAM, RDRAM, RIMM, DIMM, SIMM, VRAM, cache memory, register memory, etc. Volatile and non-volatile storage or memory can store databases, database instances, database management system entities, data, applications, programs, program modules, scripts, source code, object code, bytecode, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code, executable instructions, etc. to implement the functions of computing entity 10.

[0083] Conclusion Those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, having the benefit of the teachings shown in the foregoing description and the related drawings, will envision many modifications and other embodiments of the invention shown herein. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Specific terms are used herein, but they are used in a general and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

**Claim 1** A trapping portion, and a radio frequency (RF) boundary electrode that forms a boundary of the trapping portion, wherein the radio frequency (RF) boundary electrode includes a plurality of supply ports or is in electrical communication with a plurality of supply ports, and is an ion trap. **Claim 2** The ion trap according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of supply ports is configured to apply each radio frequency (RF) current and / or voltage signal among a plurality of radio frequency (RF) currents and / or voltage signals to the radio frequency (RF) boundary electrode. **Claim 3** The ion trap according to claim 2, wherein the frequencies of the plurality of radio frequency (RF) currents and / or voltage signals are synchronized. **Claim 4** The ion trap according to claim 2, wherein the position of each of the plurality of supply ports and the phase of each of the plurality of radio frequency (RF) currents and / or voltage signals are configured such that the phase of the current density generated at the radio frequency (RF) boundary electrode by applying the plurality of radio frequency (RF) currents and / or voltage signals to the radio frequency (RF) boundary electrode at the plurality of supply ports is continuous at all points of the radio frequency (RF) boundary electrode. **Claim 5** The ion trap according to claim 4, wherein the phase of the current density is smooth across all points of the radio frequency (RF) boundary electrode. **Claim 6** The ion trap according to claim 2, wherein the phases of the plurality of radio frequency (RF) currents and / or voltage signals are synchronized. **Claim 7** The ion trap according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of supply ports is configured to be in electrical communication with each RF source among one or more radio frequency (RF) sources. **Claim 8** The ion trap according to claim 7, wherein the one or more radio frequency (RF) sources include a plurality of radio frequency (RF) sources, and each of the plurality of radio frequency (RF) sources is (a) frequency locked to at least one other radio frequency (RF) source among the plurality of radio frequency (RF) sources, (b) frequency locked to a common reference, or (c) frequency locked to at least one of a set of combined references. **Claim 9** Each of the plurality of supply ports is configured to communicate electrically with each radio frequency (RF) source of one or more radio frequency (RF) sources, and each supply port applies each radio frequency (RF) current and / or voltage signal to the radio frequency (RF) boundary electrode. Each of the one or more radio frequency (RF) sources is configured to generate each radio frequency (RF) current and / or voltage signal. The ion trap according to claim 1.

10. The ion trap according to claim 9, wherein the application of each radio frequency (RF) current and / or voltage signal by each supply port causes a radio frequency (RF) current density to occur in the radio frequency (RF) boundary electrode.

11. The ion trap according to claim 10, wherein the radio frequency (RF) current density is smaller than the current density of a single supply port required to operate the ion trap when the ion trap comprises only a single supply port.

12. The ion trap according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of supply ports are arranged at respective positions around the radio frequency (RF) boundary electrode such that each position is symmetric with respect to at least one axis defined by the radio frequency (RF) boundary electrode.

13. The ion trap according to claim 1, wherein the ion trap comprises a plurality of unit cells, and each unit cell comprises a trapping portion, an RF boundary electrode, and each supply port of the plurality of supply ports.

14. The ion trap according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of unit cells are tiles of the ion trap.

15. Each unit cell of the plurality of unit cells is characterized by a length that is less than or equal to a threshold length when (a) the trapping portion includes a linear trapping region having a one-dimensional configuration, an area that is less than or equal to a threshold area when (b) the trapping portion includes a linear trapping region having a two-dimensional configuration, and a volume that is less than or equal to a threshold volume when (c) the trapping portion includes a linear trapping region having a three-dimensional configuration. The ion trap according to claim 13.

16. The ion trap according to claim 13, wherein a portion of the radio frequency (RF) boundary electrode of the first unit cell and a portion of the radio frequency (RF) boundary electrode of the second unit cell immediately adjacent to the first unit cell are the same physical electrode.

17. The ion trap according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of supply ports are configured to reduce the conductive loss of the ion trap when the ion trap is operated.

18. The ion trap according to claim 1, wherein the radio frequency (RF) boundary electrode is (a) a continuous radio frequency (RF) electrode or (b) comprises two or more electrically separate radio frequency (RF) electrodes.

19. The ion trap according to claim 1, wherein the ion trap is part of a quantum charge-coupled device (QCCD) type quantum computer, and an operable object confined by the ion trap is used as a qubit of the quantum charge-coupled device (QCCD) type quantum computer.

20. The ion trap according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of supply ports is configured to communicate electrically with each of one or more radio frequency (RF) sources, and a controller of a quantum charge-coupled device (QCCD) type quantum computer is configured to control the operation of the one or more radio frequency (RF) sources.

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