FIREQ: FPGA Instrumentation for Readout and Qubit control
Abstract
We present FIREQ (FPGA Instrumentation for Readout and Qubit control), an open-source RFSoC-based framework for the control and readout of superconducting qubits. FIREQ combines a modular AXI-compliant firmware architecture with a PYNQ-based software stack designed to support extensible hardware integration, deterministic experiment timing, and low-overhead execution of repeated calibration and characterization workflows. The firmware implements direct RF synthesis and acquisition, trigger-based sequencing, programmable pulse generation, frequency-multiplexed readout, and memory-efficient acquisition and waveform buffering. The software adopts a client-server architecture with streamed data transfer and dependency-aware configuration updates to reduce host-device and reconfiguration overhead during parameter sweeps. On an AMD Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC ZCU216, FIREQ generates RF pulses up to 9.3 GHz with a pulse-duration resolution of 107 ps and an event-timing resolution of 1.7 ns. FPGA resource utilization is compared with representative open-source RFSoC control frameworks, showing a low BRAM footprint while retaining full-rate I/Q generation and acquisition. The RF output is characterized in terms of phase noise, noise spectral density, and inter-channel timing skew. End-to-end operation is validated on a superconducting qubit through resonator spectroscopy, Rabi, Ramsey, and relaxation measurements, yielding T1 = 6.94 us and T2* = 13.50 us. FIREQ can therefore be used both as a qubit-control platform and as an experimental environment for evaluating alternative control and readout IP architectures.
Related
- Development of an FPGA-Based Readout System and Functional Characterization of a Custom NSX1 ASIC for X-ray instrumentation
- Scaling-Enhanced Rapid Readout of a Qubit Ensemble Assisted by High-Frequency Detector Modes
- Syndrome-Resolved Decoding of Qubit Readout Errors
- Fisher-Information Recovery in Superconducting-Qubit Magnetometry with Squeezed-Microwave Readout
- Bang-bang protocol for nondispersive qubit readout
BibTeX
@misc{capra2026fireq,
title = {{FIREQ: FPGA Instrumentation for Readout and Qubit control}},
author = {Giuseppe La Capra and Fabio Calabrese and Giorgio D'Amico and Christian Conti and Andrea De Simone and Deborah Volpe and Angelo Nucciotti and Roldolfo Carobene and Claudio Gatti and Andrea Giachero and Fabrizio Riente},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2608.29399},
eprint = {2608.29399},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.29399},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - FIREQ: FPGA Instrumentation for Readout and Qubit control
AU - Giuseppe La Capra
AU - Fabio Calabrese
AU - Giorgio D'Amico
AU - Christian Conti
AU - Andrea De Simone
AU - Deborah Volpe
AU - Angelo Nucciotti
AU - Roldolfo Carobene
AU - Claudio Gatti
AU - Andrea Giachero
AU - Fabrizio Riente
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2608.29399
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.29399
AB - We present FIREQ (FPGA Instrumentation for Readout and Qubit control), an open-source RFSoC-based framework for the control and readout of superconducting qubits. FIREQ combines a modular AXI-compliant firmware architecture with a PYNQ-based software stack designed to support extensible hardware integration, deterministic experiment timing, and low-overhead execution of repeated calibration and characterization workflows. The firmware implements direct RF synthesis and acquisition, trigger-based sequencing, programmable pulse generation, frequency-multiplexed readout, and memory-efficient acquisition and waveform buffering. The software adopts a client-server architecture with streamed data transfer and dependency-aware configuration updates to reduce host-device and reconfiguration overhead during parameter sweeps. On an AMD Zynq UltraScale+ RFSoC ZCU216, FIREQ generates RF pulses up to 9.3 GHz with a pulse-duration resolution of 107 ps and an event-timing resolution of 1.7 ns. FPGA resource utilization is compared with representative open-source RFSoC control frameworks, showing a low BRAM footprint while retaining full-rate I/Q generation and acquisition. The RF output is characterized in terms of phase noise, noise spectral density, and inter-channel timing skew. End-to-end operation is validated on a superconducting qubit through resonator spectroscopy, Rabi, Ramsey, and relaxation measurements, yielding T1 = 6.94 us and T2* = 13.50 us. FIREQ can therefore be used both as a qubit-control platform and as an experimental environment for evaluating alternative control and readout IP architectures.
ER -