Electrical control of the hole spin qubit in Si and Ge nanowire quantum dots

Strong, direct Rashba spin-orbit coupling in Si, Ge, and the Ge/Si core/shell nanowire quantum dot (QD) allows for all electrical manipulation of the hole spin qubit. Motivated by this fact, we analyze different fabrication-dependent properties of nanowires, such as orientation, cross section, and the presence of strain, with the goal being to find the material and geometry that enables the fastest qubit manipulation, whose speed can be identified using the Rabi frequency. We show that QD in nanowires with a circular cross section (cNWs) enables much weaker driving of the hole spin qubit than QDs embedded in square profile nanowires (sNWs). Assuming the orientation of the Si nanowire that maximizes the spin-orbit effects, our calculations predict that the Rabi frequencies of the hole spin qubits inside Ge and Si sNW QD have comparable strengths for weak electric fields. The global maximum of the Rabi frequency is found in Si sNW QD for strong electric fields, putting this setup ahead of others in creating the hole spin qubit. Finally, we demonstrate that strain in the Si/Ge core/shell nanowire QD decreases the Rabi frequency. In cNW QD, this effect is weak; in sNW QD, it is possible to optimize the impact of strain with the appropriate tuning of the electric field strength.

Automated summary

Strong, direct Rashba spin-orbit coupling in Si, Ge, and Ge/Si core/shell nanowire quantum dots allows for electrical manipulation of the hole spin qubit. The study shows that quantum dots in nanowires with circular cross sections enable weaker driving of the hole spin qubit compared to those in square profile nanowires. The global maximum of the Rabi frequency is found in Si square profile nanowire quantum dots, making them more effective in creating the hole spin qubit.