Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit Defect Arbitrary Waveform Generator (QICK-DAWG): Open-source FPGA control for Nitrogen-Vacancy Quantum Sensing

Quantum information communication, sensing, and computation often require complex and expensive instrumentation resulting in a large entry barrier. Quantum Instrument Control Kit (QICK) overcomes this barrier for superconducting qubits as a collection of software and firmware for state-of-the-art radio frequency system on chip FPGAs. Here we present a software and firmware extension to QICK, Defect Arbitrary Waveform Generator (QICK-DAWG),an open-source package that supports quantum control of nitrogen-vacancy defects in diamond and other quantum defects using RFSoC FPGAs. QICKDAWG extends QICK to the characterization of nitrogen-vacancy defects and other diamond quantum defects by implementing DC-1 GHz readout, AOM or gated laser control, and analog or photon counting readout options. We also demonstrate six key measurement programs—photoluminescence intensity, optically detected magnetic resonance, readout calibration, rabi oscillations, Hahn echo T2 relaxation, and T1 relaxation. We demonstrate that QICK and QICK-DAWG are powerful new paradigms of open source quantum hardware that lowers the entry barrier for quantum information sciences for a variety of quantum platforms.