US Patent 11223355 Inductively-shunted transmon qubit for superconducting circuits

Techniques for modifying the Josephson potential of a transmon qubit by shunting the transmon with an inductance are described. The inclusion of this inductance may increase the confined potential of the qubit system compared with the conventional transmon, which may lead to a transmon qubit that is stable at much higher drive energies. The inductive shunt may serve the purpose of blocking some or all phase-slips between the electrodes of the qubit. As a result, the inductively shunted transmon may offer an advantage over conventional devices when used for applications involving high energy drives, whilst offering few to no drawbacks in comparison to conventional devices when used at lower drive energies.