In 2023, the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU Erlangen) took the step to acquire a customized test solution for their quantum chips at the Eichler Lab. OrangeQS won part of the public tender and delivered an OrangeQS Rack, one of the components of the OrangeQS FLEX system.
Now the full-stack setup is completed with components from other suppliers, we are able to test on real qubits. After upgrading some of the components in the system, the OrangeQS deployment team was able to test the device up to randomized benchmarking, including gate calibrations.
We treat the integration of our OrangeQS Racks in these custom setups as a delivery of our full-stack OrangeQS FLEX systems. Only a complete, well-integrated system can deliver value to a research group.
The OrangeQS deployment team at the Eichler Lab, part of the Physics Faculty of the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität in Erlangen.
FAU Erlangen has a tradition of research and long-standing partnerships with international research institutions such as Max Planck, Fraunhofer and Helmholtz. Additionally, the university cluster has received a 3 million euro grant as part of a larger incentive to ramp up quantum research to make it one of Germany’s leading institutes. Within the department of Physics, Prof. Christopher Eichler and his team strive to advance research and education in quantum science, with an experimental focus on superconducting circuit devices for quantum computing.
The OrangeQS Rack comprises of multi-channel measurement electronics designed for room temperature control of the experimental cryogenic setup. The measurement software on the OrangeQS Rack is usually one of our Quantum Diagnostics Libraries. In this case, our Superconducting Qubit Tools (SCQT) were included, using the open-source framework Quantify. Together with a dilution refrigerator, the cryogenic i/o and a sample holder, this setup becomes a full-stack system for quantum chip testing.
On the first day at the Eichler Lab, the OrangeQS deployment team upgraded some of the hardware components in the OrangeQS Rack and upgraded the measurement software. The next morning, the team tuned up the device in a few hours, including gate calibrations and randomized benchmarking. The team used the rest of the time for a workshop with the Eichler Lab team.
We treat any system that contains an OrangeQS Rack as an OrangeQS FLEX system. We always need to consider how the system functions as a whole. Since most customers prefer using a well-integrated full-stack setup for quantum chip testing, we offer that with the OrangeQS FLEX. Even if a research group prefers to purchase the OrangeQS Rack separately or have their setup customized, they should still be able to reset their OrangeQS FLEX to a functional state at any point.
Compared to the OrangeQS MAX system, which is turn-key and focused on cost-effective, high-throughput testing, the OrangeQS FLEX system gives research groups more flexibility. We can spend time and effort on customization, like adding specific electronics or advanced test protocols. Because only a well-integrated full-stack system can test qubits reliably, it is valuable for a customer to have a commercial partner with system integration expertise. As a full solution provider, we push for practices such as component and system-level testing, seamless integration between components and reliable delivery times.
