Quantum information processing devices promise to solve some problems more efficiently than their classical counterparts. The source of the speedup is the structure of quantum theory itself. In that sense, the physical units that are the building blocks of such devices are its power. The quest then is to find or manufacture a system that behaves according to quantum theory, and yet is controllable in such a way that the desired algorithms can be implemented. Candidate systems are benchmarked against general criteria to evaluate their success. In this thesis, I advance a particular system and present the progress made towards each of these criteria. The system is a three-qubit 13C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) based quantum processor. I report results concerning system characterization and control, pseudopure state preparation, and quantum error correction. I also report on using the system to test a central question in the foundation of quantum mechanics.

Quantum information processing devices promise to solve some problems more efficiently than their classical counterparts. The source of the speedup is the structure of quantum theory itself. In that sense, the physical units that are the building blocks of such devices are its power. The quest then is to find or manufacture a system that behaves according to quantum theory, and yet is controllable in such a way that the desired algorithms can be implemented. Candidate systems are benchmarked against general criteria to evaluate their success. In this thesis, I advance a particular system and present the progress made towards each of these criteria. The system is a three-qubit 13C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) based quantum processor. I report results concerning system characterization and control, pseudopure state preparation, and quantum error correction. I also report on using the system to test a central question in the foundation of quantum mechanics.

No / We analyze the possibility and efficiency of nonholonomic control over quantum devices with exponentially large number of Hilbert space dimensions. We show that completely controllable devices of this type can be assembled from elementary units of arbitrary physical nature, and can be employed efficiently for universal quantum computations and simulation of quantum-field dynamics. As an example we describe a toy device that can perform Toffoli-gate transformations and discrete Fourier transform on 9 qubits.

La demande croissante en composants optoélectroniques de taille réduite, rapides, de faible puissance et à faible coût oriente la recherche vers des sources et détecteurs de radiation ayant une dimension inférieure à la longueur d'onde émise/détectée. Cette dernière est entravée par la limite de diffraction qui fixe la dimension minimale des dispositifs optiques à la moitié de la longueur d'onde de fonctionnement. A l'inverse, les dispositifs électroniques, tels que les antennes et les oscillateurs, ne sont pas limitée en taille et leur fréquence peut être accordée par des composants discrets. Par conséquent, unifier les mondes de la photonique et de l'électronique permettrait de concevoir de nouveaux dispositifs optoélectroniques sans limitation de taille imposée par la longueur d'onde et ayant des fonctionnalités empruntées aux circuits électroniques. La région spectrale idéale pour développer ce paradigme est la gamme térahertz (THz), à mi-chemin entre les domaines de l'électronique et de l'optique. Dans la première partie de ces travaux, nous présentons de nouveaux micro-résonateurs sub-longueur d’onde en 3D qui fonctionnent comme des circuits LC microscopiques et où la fréquence de résonance peut être accordée en agissant séparément sur la région capacitive et/ou inductive. Dans la deuxième partie, nous illustrons la puissance de cette approche en réalisant de nouveaux méta-dispositifs THz passifs (polaritoniques, commutables optiquement, optiquement actifs) basés sur des composants discrets. La dernière partie de cette thèse est consacrée aux méta-dispositifs actifs. Des photodétecteurs THz à puits quantiques ayant une dimension ≈λ eff /10, en configuration objet unique et réseau sont démontrées, grâce à un schéma de contact efficace et originale pour extraire (injecter) un courant depuis (dans) le cœur semi-conducteur intégré dans chaque résonateur. Enfin, une étude de faisabilité d'un laser sub-longueur d’onde aux fréquences THz est présentée. / The need for small, fast, low-power and low-cost optoelectronic components is driving the research towards radiation sources and detectors having a dimension that is smaller than the emitted/detected wavelength. This is hampered by the optical diffraction limit which constrains the minimum dimension of optical devices at half the operating wavelength. Conversely, electronic devices, such as antennas and oscillating circuits, are not diffraction-limited in size and can be frequency tuned with lumped components. Hence, blending the worlds of photonics and electronics has the potential to enable novel optoelectronic devices with no lower size limit imposed by the wavelength, and with novel functionalities borrowed from electronic circuits. The ideal spectral region to develop this paradigm is the terahertz (THz) range, halfway between the electronics and optics realms. In the first part of this work, we present novel subwavelength 3D micro-resonators that behave as microscopic LC circuits, where the resonant frequency can be tuned acting separately on the capacitive and/or inductive regions. In the second part we illustrate the power of this concept by implementing novel lumped-elements-based passive THz meta-devices (polaritonic, optically switchable, optically active). The last part of this thesis is devoted to active meta-devices. Single-pixel and arrays of THz quantum well photodetectors featuring a ≈λeff/10 dimension are demonstrated, thanks also to an effective and original contact scheme to extract (inject) current from (into) the semiconductor core embedded by each resonator. Finally, a feasibility study of a subwavelength laser at THz frequencies is reported.

We present the development of a novel, UHV-compatible device fabrication strategy for the realisation of nano- and atomic-scale devices in silicon by harnessing the atomic-resolution capability of a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM). We develop etched registration markers in the silicon substrate in combination with a custom-designed STM/ molecular beam epitaxy system (MBE) to solve one of the key problems in STM device fabrication ??? connecting devices, fabricated in UHV, to the outside world. Using hydrogen-based STM lithography in combination with phosphine, as a dopant source, and silicon MBE, we then go on to fabricate several planar Si:P devices on one chip, including control devices that demonstrate the efficiency of each stage of the fabrication process. We demonstrate that we can perform four terminal magnetoconductance measurements at cryogenic temperatures after ex-situ alignment of metal contacts to the buried device. Using this process, we demonstrate the lateral confinement of P dopants in a delta-doped plane to a line of width 90nm; and observe the cross-over from 2D to 1D magnetotransport. These measurements enable us to extract the wire width which is in excellent agreement with STM images of the patterned wire. We then create STM-patterned Si:P wires with widths from 90nm to 8nm that show ohmic conduction and low resistivities of 1 to 20 micro Ohm-cm respectively ??? some of the highest conductivity wires reported in silicon. We study the dominant scattering mechanisms in the wires and find that temperature-dependent magnetoconductance can be described by a combination of both 1D weak localisation and 1D electron-electron interaction theories with a potential crossover to strong localisation at lower temperatures. We present results from STM-patterned tunnel junctions with gap sizes of 50nm and 17nm exhibiting clean, non-linear characteristics. We also present preliminary conductance results from a 70nm long and 90nm wide dot between source-drain leads which show evidence of Coulomb blockade behaviour. The thesis demonstrates the viability of using STM lithography to make devices in silicon down to atomic-scale dimensions. In particular, we show the enormous potential of this technology to directly correlate images of the doped regions with ex-situ electrical device characteristics.

We present the development of a novel, UHV-compatible device fabrication strategy for the realisation of nano- and atomic-scale devices in silicon by harnessing the atomic-resolution capability of a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM). We develop etched registration markers in the silicon substrate in combination with a custom-designed STM/ molecular beam epitaxy system (MBE) to solve one of the key problems in STM device fabrication ??? connecting devices, fabricated in UHV, to the outside world. Using hydrogen-based STM lithography in combination with phosphine, as a dopant source, and silicon MBE, we then go on to fabricate several planar Si:P devices on one chip, including control devices that demonstrate the efficiency of each stage of the fabrication process. We demonstrate that we can perform four terminal magnetoconductance measurements at cryogenic temperatures after ex-situ alignment of metal contacts to the buried device. Using this process, we demonstrate the lateral confinement of P dopants in a delta-doped plane to a line of width 90nm; and observe the cross-over from 2D to 1D magnetotransport. These measurements enable us to extract the wire width which is in excellent agreement with STM images of the patterned wire. We then create STM-patterned Si:P wires with widths from 90nm to 8nm that show ohmic conduction and low resistivities of 1 to 20 micro Ohm-cm respectively ??? some of the highest conductivity wires reported in silicon. We study the dominant scattering mechanisms in the wires and find that temperature-dependent magnetoconductance can be described by a combination of both 1D weak localisation and 1D electron-electron interaction theories with a potential crossover to strong localisation at lower temperatures. We present results from STM-patterned tunnel junctions with gap sizes of 50nm and 17nm exhibiting clean, non-linear characteristics. We also present preliminary conductance results from a 70nm long and 90nm wide dot between source-drain leads which show evidence of Coulomb blockade behaviour. The thesis demonstrates the viability of using STM lithography to make devices in silicon down to atomic-scale dimensions. In particular, we show the enormous potential of this technology to directly correlate images of the doped regions with ex-situ electrical device characteristics.