arXiv subjects

Lisa Hackett

Publications and source records attributed to Lisa Hackett.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Towards a monolithic platform for coupling superconducting circuits to low-loss microwave phonons in AlScN on 4H-SiC

Hybrid superconducting-phonon quantum processing is promising for cavity QED, measurement-based quantum computing, and other quantum applications. Relative to microwave photons at the same frequency, phonons can provide ultra-compact footprints, extremely low losses, and greater connectivity. Phonons can also couple strongly to superconducting circuits through the piezoelectric effect. However, this promise rests on scalable platforms that achieve these benefits without degrading superconducting circuit performance. This motivates a monolithic platform combining low phononic loss, strong electromechanical coupling, and superconducting-circuit compatibility without requiring suspended phononics. Here, we characterize a monolithic quantum acoustic platform combining aluminum superconducting circuits on exposed silicon carbide (SiC) with piezoelectric aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN) on SiC for integrated phononics. This architecture is enabled by selective removal of AlScN from selected chip regions, allowing aluminum superconducting microwave resonators to be fabricated directly on the SiC while preserving adjacent AlScN-on-SiC regions for phonon transduction. The resulting Al-on-SiC resonators exhibit a coherent lifetime of 2.9 {\mu}s, demonstrating compatibility with aluminum superconducting quantum devices. In parallel, cryogenic surface acoustic delay-line measurements on the retained AlScN-on-SiC regions show low phononic propagation loss at 4.05 GHz, corresponding to an estimated phonon lifetime of 7.6 {\mu}s. Together with a previously demonstrated electromechanical coupling coefficient of about 4.3% and a theoretical upper bound of 8%, these results establish Al-on-SiC/AlScN-on-SiC as a promising monolithic platform for integrating superconducting microwave circuits with piezoelectric phononic components for quantum acoustic networking and hybrid quantum systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Design of optomechanical transducers for sub-micron resolution ultrasound imaging

Ultrasound is a noninvasive, real-time, and therefore widely used imaging modality; yet its application in cellular and sub-cellular biology is significantly limited by rapidly increasing acoustic losses in aqueous solutions with decreasing wavelength. Here we introduce a nano-optomechanical cavity transducer platform to generate and detect ultrasound in aqueous solutions with a sub-micron acoustic wavelength. We analyze the full signal pathway through a combination of finite element method modeling and the coupled differential equations that describe the dispersive optomechanical interaction. Our findings project a signal-to-noise ratio in the thousands at ~5 GHz, limited by diffraction losses and thermal-acoustic noise. This work establishes a viable path towards optomechanical ultrasound systems capable of label-free imaging at cellular and sub-cellular length scales while also providing a broader framework for optomechanical crystal device operation in aqueous environments relevant to biochemical sensing, medical diagnostics, underwater acoustic sensing, and nanoscale imaging.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2025

An Electrically Injected and Solid State Surface Acoustic Wave Phonon Laser

Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) enable a wide array of technologies including RF filters, chemical and biological sensors, acousto-optic devices, acoustic control of microfluidic flow in lab-on-a-chip systems, and quantum phononics. While numerous methods exist for generating SAWs, they each have intrinsic limitations that inhibit performance, operation at high frequencies, and use in systems constrained in size, weight, and power. Here, for the first time, we present a completely solid-state, single-chip SAW phonon laser that is comprised of a lithium niobate SAW resonator with an internal, DC electrically injected and broadband semiconductor gain medium with $<$0.15 mm$^2$ footprint. Below the threshold bias of 36 V, the device behaves as a resonant amplifier, and above it exhibits self-sustained coherent oscillation, linewidth narrowing, and high output powers. A continuous on-chip acoustic output power of up to -6.1 dBm is generated at 1 GHz with a resolution-limited linewidth of $<$77 Hz and a carrier phase noise of -57 dBc/Hz at 1 kHz offset. Through detailed modeling, we show pathways for improving these devices' performance including mHz linewidths, sub -100 dBc/Hz phase noise at 1 kHz, high power efficiency, footprints less than 550 um$^2$ at 10 GHz, and SAW generation approaching the hundreds of GHz regime. This demonstration provides a fundamentally new approach to SAW generation, paving the way toward ultra-high-frequency SAW sources on a chip and highly miniaturized and efficient SAW-based systems that can be operated without an external RF source.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2025

QCaMP: A 4-Week Summer Camp Introducing High School Students to Quantum Information Science and Technology

The 2024 Quantum Computing, Math and Physics Camp (QCaMP) for Students was a 4-week long summer camp aimed at introducing high school students to quantum concepts and careers, including applications spanning quantum computing, sensing, and communication. The program ran for 7 hours/day, Monday-Friday, July 1-26, and included hands-on modules and activities, professional development, and project-based learning. Here we provide details on the camp curriculum and outcomes based on pre and post knowledge and attitudes assessments.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2025

Strongly Electromechanical Coupled Phononic Waveguides in Aluminum Scandium Nitride on Silicon Carbide

Guided phonons have become an increasingly important platform for classical and quantum information processing. While conventional surface acoustic wave systems are typically only guided in the vertical direction, two-dimensionally confined waveguide systems offer significant advantages in terms of density of phononic circuit components and much higher intensities of strain and piezoelectric fields, which make them promising candidates for advancing acoustoelectric and quantum phononic applications. One such material system for generating and guiding phonons at gigahertz frequencies is AlScN on SiC, which can be synthesized by sputter depositing AlScN directly onto SiC wafers. The AlScN on SiC platform allows for tightly vertically confined acoustic modes with high electromechanical coupling, high speed of sound, and simple fabrication of strip and rib waveguides. Until now, this system has only been studied as a slab waveguide platform, i.e., without any lateral waveguiding. Here, we present a 2D-confined phononic waveguide architecture in AlScN on SiC with strongly electromechanically coupled modes that could serve as a platform for phononic routing, power-efficient active and nonlinear phononic devices such as amplifiers, mixers, and oscillators, as well as for interacting with quantum systems such as vacancy centers, charge carriers, photons, and spins. We study two distinct gigahertz frequency waveguide mode families using impedance matched interdigital transducers and characterize their electromechanical coupling and propagation losses. Additionally, we analyze how these waveguides could interact with various important quantum and classical systems that can be either embedded in SiC or heterogeneously integrated on the surface.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Quantum Computing, Math, and Physics (QCaMP): Introducing quantum computing in high schools

The nascent but rapidly growing field of Quantum Information Science and Technology has led to an increased demand for skilled quantum workers and an opportunity to build a diverse workforce at the outset. In order to meet this demand and encourage women and underrepresented minorities in STEM to consider a career in QIST, we have developed a curriculum for introducing quantum computing to teachers and students at the high school level with no prerequisites. In 2022, this curriculum was delivered over the course of two one-week summer camps, one targeting teachers and another targeting students. Here, we present an overview of the objectives, curriculum, and activities, as well as results from the formal evaluation of both camps and the outlook for expanding QCaMP in future years.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2023

S-band acoustoelectric amplifier utilizing an ultra-high thermal conductivity heterostructure for low self-heating

Here we report on an acoustoelectric slab waveguide heterostructure for phonon amplification using a thin Al$_{0.58}$Sc$_{0.42}$N film grown directly on a 4H-SiC substrate with an ultra-thin In$_{0.53}$Ga$_{0.47}$As epitaxial film heterogeneously integrated onto the surface of the Al$_{0.58}$Sc$_{0.42}$N. The aluminum scandium nitride film grown directly on silicon carbide enables a thin (1 micron thick) piezoelectric film to be deposited on a thermally conductive bulk substrate (370 W/m-K for 4H-SiC), enabling negligible self-heating when combined with the In$_{0.53}$Ga$_{0.47}$As semiconductor parameters of large mobility (~7000 cm$^2$/V-s) and low concentration of charge carriers (~5x10$^{15}$ cm$^{-3}$). A Sezawa mode with optimal overlap between the peak of its evanescent electric field and the semiconductor charge carriers is supported. The high velocity of the heterostructure materials allows us to operate the Sezawa mode amplifier at 3.05 GHz, demonstrating a gain of 500 dB/cm (40 dB in 800 microns). Additionally, a terminal end-to-end radio frequency gain of 7.7 dB and a nonreciprocal transmission of 52.6 dB are achieved with a dissipated DC power of 2.3 mW. The power added efficiency and acoustic noise figure are also characterized.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2023

High-Efficiency Three-Wave and Four-Wave Phonon Mixing Via Electron-Mediated Nonlinearity in Semiconductor-Piezoelectric Heterostructures

We show that phononic frequency conversion can be enhanced by orders of magnitude in piezoelectric systems by heterogeneous integration of high-mobility semiconductor films. A lithium niobate and indium gallium arsenide heterostructure is utilized to demonstrate efficient three-wave mixing processes at microwave frequencies, including 16% phononic power conversion efficiency for sum-frequency generation and 1% phononic power conversion efficiency for difference-frequency generation, as well as the most efficient degenerate four-wave phononic mixing to date. We present a theoretical model that accurately predicts the sum-frequency and difference-frequency generation processes and we show that the conversion efficiency can be further enhanced by the application of semiconductor bias fields. Laser Doppler vibrometry is then applied to examine many three-wave and four-wave mixing processes simultaneously in the same device. Through the use of our developed model, we show that these nonlinearities can be enhanced far beyond what is demonstrated here by confining phonons to smaller dimensions in waveguides and optimizing semiconductor material properties or using 2D semiconductors.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2022

Nonreciprocal low-noise acoustoelectric microwave amplifiers with net gain in continuous operation

Over sixty years ago, it was hypothesized that specially designed acoustic systems that leveraged the acoustoelectric effect between phonons and charge carriers could revolutionize radio frequency electronic systems by allowing nonlinear and nonreciprocal functionalities such as gain and isolation to be achieved in the acoustic domain. Despite six decades of work, no acoustoelectric amplifier has been produced that can achieve a large net (terminal) gain at microwave frequencies with low power consumption and noise figure. Here we demonstrate a novel three-layer acoustoelectric heterostructure that enables the first-ever continuously operating acoustoelectric amplifier with terminal gain at gigahertz frequencies. We achieve a terminal gain of 11.25 dB in a 500 micron long device, operating at 1 GHz with a DC power dissipation of 19.6 mW. We also realize broadband gain from 0.25-3.4 GHz and nonreciprocal transmission exceeding 44 dB at 1 GHz. Our acoustic noise figure is 2.8 dB, which is the lowest-ever demonstrated noise figure for an acoustoelectric amplifier. We discuss generally how to optimize these acoustoelectric heterostructures and show that it should be immediately achievable to produce devices with even larger gain in shorter lengths while simultaneously having lower power consumption and noise figure.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2022

Spin-Phonon-Photon Strong Coupling in a Piezomechanical Nanocavity

We introduce a hybrid tripartite quantum system for strong coupling between a semiconductor spin, a mechanical phonon, and a microwave photon. Consisting of a piezoelectric resonator with an integrated diamond strain concentrator, this system achieves microwave-acoustic and spin-acoustic coupling rates $\sim$MHz or greater, allowing for simultaneous ultra-high cooperativities ($\sim 10^3$ and $\sim 10^2$, respectively). From finite-element modeling and master equation simulations, we estimate photon-to-spin quantum state transfer fidelities exceeding 0.97 based on separately demonstrated device parameters. We anticipate that this device will enable hybrid quantum architectures that leverage the advantages of both superconducting circuits and solid-state spins for information processing, memory, and networking.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Modulation of Brillouin optomechanical interactions via acoustoelectric phonon-electron coupling

Optomechanical Brillouin nonlinearities -- arising from the coupling between traveling photons and phonons -- have become the basis for a range of powerful optical signal processing and sensing technologies. The dynamics of such interactions are largely set and limited by the host material's elastic, optical, and photo-elastic properties, which are generally considered intrinsic and static. Here we show for the first time that it is feasible to dynamically reconfigure the Brillouin nonlinear susceptibility in transparent semiconductors through acoustoelectric phonon-electron coupling. Acoustoelectric interactions permit a wide range of tunability of the phonon dissipation rate and velocity, perhaps the most influential parameters in the Brillouin nonlinear susceptibility. We develop a Hamiltonian-based analysis that yields self-consistent dynamical equations and noise coupling, allowing us to explore the physics of such acoustoelectrically enhanced Brillouin (AEB) interactions and show that they give rise to a dramatic enhancement of the performance of Brillouin-based photonic technologies. Moreover, we show that these AEB effects can drive systems into new regimes of fully-coherent scattering that resemble the dynamics of optical parametric processes, dramatically different than the incoherent traditional Brillouin limit. We propose and computationally explore a particular semiconductor heterostructure in which the acoustoelectric interaction arises from a piezoelectric phonon-electron coupling. We find that this system provides the necessary piezoelectric and carrier response ($k^2\approx 6 \%$), favorable semiconductor materials properties, and large optomechanical confinement and coupling ($|g_0|\approx8000$ (rad/s)$\sqrt{\text{m}}$) sufficient to demonstrate these new AEB enhanced optomechanical interactions.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2020

A Phononic Bus for Coherent Interfaces Between a Superconducting Quantum Processor, Spin Memory, and Photonic Quantum Networks

We introduce a method for high-fidelity quantum state transduction between a superconducting microwave qubit and the ground state spin system of a solid-state artificial atom, mediated via an acoustic bus connected by piezoelectric transducers. Applied to present-day experimental parameters for superconducting circuit qubits and diamond silicon vacancy centers in an optimized phononic cavity, we estimate quantum state transduction with fidelity exceeding 99\% at a MHz-scale bandwidth. By combining the complementary strengths of superconducting circuit quantum computing and artificial atoms, the hybrid architecture provides high-fidelity qubit gates with long-lived quantum memory, high-fidelity measurement, large qubit number, reconfigurable qubit connectivity, and high-fidelity state and gate teleportation through optical quantum networks.

quant-ph↗