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Observation of Piezoelectricity at the Metal-Sapphire Interface

ORAL

Abstract

Interface piezoelectricity is a recently discovered superconducting qubit loss mechanism where symmetry breaking at a superconductor-silicon junction leads to piezoelectric transduction and phonon radiation [1]. Sapphire, another widely used qubit substrate, exhibits a non-piezoelectric bulk property and possesses a larger bandgap than silicon. In this talk, we present observations of piezoelectric response at the metal-sapphire interface probed using surface acoustic waves launched and detected via interdigital transducers. We quantify the strength of the interface piezoelectric effect, discuss possible microscopic origins, and model its impact on qubit coherence on sapphire substrates.

[1] H. Zhou et al., arXiv:2409.10626 (2024)

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Presenters

  • Kangdi Yu

    University of California, Berkeley, UC Berkeley

Authors

  • Kangdi Yu

    University of California, Berkeley, UC Berkeley

  • Haoxin Zhou

    University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley

  • John W Garmon

    Yale University

  • Zihuai Zhang

    University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley

  • Robert J Schoelkopf

    Yale University

  • Alp Sipahigil

    University of California Berkeley, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory