Measurement setup for the characterization of integrated semiconductor circuits at cryogenic temperatures.

Abstract

Integrated semiconductor circuits operating at cryogenic temperatures can play a crucial role in scaling quantum computing architectures based on trapped-ion and superconducting qubits. Other technologies, such as low-temperature detectors, can also benefit significantly from these circuits. These applications demand high-frequency, cryogenic temperature measurement systems for the thorough characterization of semiconductor components and circuits. This work presents a customizable, high-frequency, fast, and reliable cryogenic measurement setup for measurement temperatures ranging from room temperature to 4.2 K. It features up to two dc probes or two ground-signal-ground probes for frequencies of up to 67 GHz, which can be configured in a 180° or 90° configuration. In addition, up to 48 BeCu wires configured as twisted pairs provide supply and control signals. Furthermore, up to four rf connections can be mounted directly to a printed circuit board. The setup features an optical microscope in the vacuum chamber to position the probes, which is further utilized by a machine vision algorithm, allowing the detection of pads and automatic positioning of the probes over the pads. The hardware is located in a 550 × 500 × 500 mm3 large vacuum chamber with two independent pulse tube cryocoolers with cooling powers of up to 0.9 and 0.4 W at 4.2 K. Exemplary room temperature and cryogenic S-parameter, transient frequency (fT), time-domain, capacitance-voltage, and dc measurements of single transistors and integrated circuits fabricated by Infineon are presented, demonstrating the system's measurement capability for quantum computing and other applications.