Manarat: A scalable QICK-based control system for superconducting quantum processors supporting synchronized control...

Area of Science:

• Quantum Computing
• Superconducting Qubits
• Control Systems Engineering

Background:

• Scalable control architectures are critical for advancing superconducting quantum processors with increasing qubit counts.
• Existing frameworks like QICK (Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit) on AMD RFSoC platforms lack native multi-board synchronization, hindering large-scale applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce Manarat, a scalable multi-board control platform designed to overcome synchronization limitations in QICK.
• To enable sub-100 picosecond timing alignment across multiple AMD ZCU216 RFSoC boards for enhanced quantum control.

Main Methods:

• Developed Manarat with hardware, firmware, and software enhancements, including a low-jitter clock distribution network and tProcessor modifications.
• Integrated a custom analog front-end for flux control with high-speed RF signals and software-programmable DC biasing.
• Implemented a synchronization scheme for deterministic program execution alignment and a software stack for multi-board experiment orchestration.

Main Results:

• Achieved sub-100 picosecond timing alignment across multiple AMD RFSoC boards.
• Validated Manarat on a 10-qubit processor using two RFSoC boards, demonstrating synchronized control sequences for CZ gate calibration.
• Confirmed reliable execution of synchronized control and coherent operations across multiple boards.

Conclusions:

• Manarat provides a scalable solution for multi-board synchronization in superconducting quantum computing.
• The platform enables precise, coherent control essential for the development of mid- to large-scale quantum devices.
• Sub-nanosecond synchronization across multiple RFSoC boards is feasible, paving the way for advanced quantum algorithms and processors.