We measure the interdot charge relaxation time T_1 of a single electron trapped in an accumulation mode Si/SiGe double quantum dot. The energy level structure of the charge qubit is determined using photon assisted tunneling, which reveals the presence of a low lying excited state. We systematically measure T_1 as a function of detuning and interdot tunnel coupling and show that it is tunable over four orders of magnitude, with a maximum of 45 microseconds for our device configuration. Measured relaxation times are consistent with a phonon mediated energy relaxation process and indicate that low lying excited states may have important implications in the development of silicon spin qubits.
@article{arxiv.1304.2640,
title = {Charge Relaxation in a Single Electron Si/SiGe Double Quantum Dot},
author = {K. Wang and C. Payette and Y. Dovzhenko and P. W. Deelman and J. R. Petta},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1304.2640},
year = {2014}
}