Single-flux-quantum probabilistic digitizer

US9614532B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• John F. Bulzacchelli · Somers, US
• Mark B. Ketchen · Hadley, US
• Christopher B. Lirakis · Whitehall Corners, US
• Alexey Y. Lvov · Congers, US
• Stanislav Polonsky · Putnam Valley, US
• Mark B. Ritter · Sherman, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 17, 2015
• Grant date: Apr 4, 2017
• Expiry date: Dec 17, 2035

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H03M1/1071
• WIPO field: Basic communication processes
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A probabilistic digitizer for extracting information from a Josephson comparator is disclosed. The digitizer uses statistical methods to aggregate over a set of comparator readouts, effectively increasing the sensitivity of the comparator even when an input signal falls within the comparator's gray zone. Among other uses, such a digitizer may be used to discriminate between states of a qubit.