We demonstrate a radio-frequency parametric amplifier that exploits the gate-tunable quantum capacitance of an ultra high mobility two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in a GaAs heterostructure at cryogenic temperatures. The prototype narrowband amplifier exhibits a gain greater than 20 dB up to an input power of - 66 dBm (1 dB compression), and a noise temperature TN of 1.3 K at 370 MHz. In contrast to superconducting amplifiers, the quantum capacitance parametric amplifier (QCPA) is operable at tesla-scale magnetic fields and temperatures ranging from milli kelvin to a few kelvin. These attributes, together with its low power (microwatt) operation when compared to conventional transistor amplifiers, suggest the QCPA may find utility in enabling on-chip integrated readout circuits for semiconductor qubits or in the context of space transceivers and radio astronomy instruments.
@article{arxiv.2304.13227,
title = {An rf Quantum Capacitance Parametric Amplifier},
author = {A. El Kass and C. T. Jin and J. D. Watson and G. C. Gardner and S. Fallahi and M. J. Manfra and D. J. Reilly},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2304.13227},
year = {2023}
}