The Quantum Scientific Computing Open User Testbed (QSCOUT) at Sandia National Laboratories is a trapped-ion qubit system designed to evaluate the potential of near-term quantum hardware in scientific computing applications for the U.S. Department of Energy and its Advanced Scientific Computing Research program. Similar to commercially available platforms, it offers quantum hardware that researchers can use to perform quantum algorithms, investigate noise properties unique to quantum systems, and test novel ideas that will be useful for larger and more powerful systems in the future. However, unlike most other quantum computing testbeds, the QSCOUT allows both quantum circuit and low-level pulse control access to study new modes of programming and optimization. The purpose of this article is to provide users and the general community with details of the QSCOUT hardware and its interface, enabling them to take maximum advantage of its capabilities.
The Hecht equation can be used to model the nonlinear degradation of charge collection efficiency (CCE) in response to radiation-induced displacement damage in both fully and partially depleted GaAs photodiodes. CCE degradation is measured for laser-generated photocurrent as a function of fluence and bias in Al0.3Ga0.7As/GaAs/Al0.25Ga0.75As p-i-n photodiodes which have been irradiated with 12 MeV C and 7.5 MeV Si ions. CCE is observed to degrade more rapidly with fluence in partially depleted photodiodes than in fully depleted photodiodes. When the intrinsic GaAs layer is fully depleted, the 2-carrier Hecht equation describes CCE degradation as photogenerated electrons and holes recombine at defect sites created by radiation damage in the depletion region. If the GaAs layer is partially depleted, CCE degradation is more appropriately modeled as the sum of the 2-carrier Hecht equation applied to electrons and holes generated within the depletion region and the 1-carrier Hecht equation applied to minority carriers that diffuse from the field-free (non-depleted) region into the depletion region. Enhanced CCE degradation is attributed to holes that recombine within the field-free region of the partially depleted intrinsic GaAs layer before they can diffuse into the depletion region.