Are "pinholes" the cause of excess current in superconducting tunnel junctions? A study of Andreev current in highly resistive junctions

In highly resistive superconducting tunnel junctions, excess subgap current is usually observed and is often attributed to microscopic pinholes in the tunnel barrier. We have studied the subgap current in superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) and superconductor-insulator-normal-metal (SIN) junctions. In Al/AlO(x)/Al junctions, we observed a decrease of 2 orders of magnitude in the current upon the transition from the SIS to the SIN regime, where it then matched theory. In Al/AlO(x)/Cu junctions, we also observed generic features of coherent diffusive Andreev transport in a junction with a homogenous barrier. We use the quasiclassical Keldysh-Green function theory to quantify single- and two-particle tunneling and find good agreement with experiment over 2 orders of magnitude in transparency. We argue that our observations rule out pinholes as the origin of the excess current.     

Investigation of step-edge Josephson device of YBa<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cu<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>7−<Emphasis Type="Italic">d</Emphasis></Subscript> formed on MgO by a pulsed laser deposition method

We fabricated step-edge Josephson junctions of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−d on MgO substrates by a pulsed laser deposition method for high frequency applications. On the basis of temperature dependence of critical current, noticeable deterioration has not been observed in a step-edge area. The dynamic resistance was between 2 and 3Ω under the superconducting critical temperature. A deviation from a resistively shunted junction model was observed, which implies the excess current not flowing through Josephson junctions.     

Concept of a mixer based on a cold-electron bolometer

A phase-sensitive terahertz heterodyne mixer of a new type based on a cold-electron bolometer is proposed. In this mixer, a normal-metal thin-film absorber is connected to a planar antenna via superconductor-insulator-normal metal (SIN) tunnel junctions, thus forming a SINIS structure. The SINIS mixer combines the advantages of a hot-electron bolometer (HEB), such as a high signal frequency at a small local oscillator power, with the advantages of an SIS mixer, including low noise level, a high intermediate frequency, and wide working temperature range (up to a critical temperature of the superconductor). In contrast to the HEB and SIS mixers, the proposed device is less sensitive to external magnetic noise and exhibits no additional noise related to the superconducting transition and the Josephson effect.     

利用超导结的直流约瑟夫逊效应探测β粒子的初步实验结果

利用超导结的直流约瑟夫逊效应探测粒子,具有能量分辨率高和时间响应快的优点。我们首次进行了用Sr⁹⁰-Y⁹⁰β源辐照Nb-NbO_x-Pb超导结的实验。结果表明:在β粒子的辐照下,不仅超导结的临界电流和能隙电压都变小,而且在超导结的两端产生电压脉冲讯号。本文报道了利用直流约瑟夫逊效应探测β粒子所观察到的一些现象。 关键词：     

Superconducting terahertz receivers for space-borne and balloon-borne radio telescopes

A superconducting heterodyne receiver based on superconductor–insulator–superconductor (SIS) junctions and a bolometric receiver based on superconductor–insulator–normal metal (SIN) tunnel junctions developed at the Kotelnikov Institute is described. The noise temperature and noise equivalent power of such a receiver fit the requirements for the TELIS, BOOMERANG, OLIMPO, and LSPE aerostatborne radio telescopes, and the space-based SPICA and MILLIMETRON projects, among others. Applications of such receivers for medical diagnostics and remote control are described.     

Some recent developments in the design of SIS mixers

SIS mixers in which superconducting tuning elements are integrated with the tunnel junctions have resulted in very low noise heterodyne receivers in the range 68–260 GHz. Above 120 GHz the need for extremely small reduced-height waveguides is avoided by mounting the SIS junctions in a suspended-stripline circuit coupled to a full-height waveguide by a broadband probe. The special characteristics of coplanar transmission line permit the design of SIS mixers with low parasitic reactances. Such a mixer operates over the full WR-10 band (75–110 GHz) without mechanical tuners.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the First International Symposium on Space THz Technology, March, 1990.The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is operated by Associated Universities, Inc., under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.     

Planar microwave biased RF-SQUIDs in niobium technology

A planar version of microwave biased SQUIDs is described. In this type of SQUID, a superconducting half-wavelength microstrip resonator serves as tank circuit, into which the SQUID is integrated. For evaluation of this type of SQUID, samples were prepared from thin Nb films on sapphire substrates, using tunnel junctions as Josephson elements. When operated in hysteretic mode, signal voltages of up to 80 V were achieved, corresponding to a flux noise of 4×10^–6 ₀/Hz and an energy resolution of 2×10^–31 J/Hz.     

Fabrication of sub-micron Nb/Al-oxide/Nb sis junctions

I describe a process for fabricating high critical current density, submicron superconductor/insulator/superconductor (SIS) tunnel junctions, suitable for use as millimeter-wave or submillimeter-wave mixers. The superconducting electrodes are niobium; the insulating barrier is aluminum oxide. Standard optical photolithography is employed, with subsequent shrinkback of the photoresist mesa defining the device through reactive-ion etching in an oxygen plasma to enhance step-coverage by the insulating layer. Active areas as small as 0.5µm² have been made. I discuss two variations of the process, one starting from a small initial trilayer region defined by liftoff, and the other starting from a whole-wafer initial trilayer.     

Integrated Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Receivers

We overview recent achievements in the field of cryogenic submillimeter-wave receivers based on superconductor–insulator–superconductor (SIS) tunnel junctions. The main attention is paid to the novel superconducting integrated receivers (SIRs) with an on-chip superconducting local oscillator. The single-chip microcircuit of the receiver, which integrates a quantum mixer based on the nonlinearity of a quasi-particle current in the SIS junction, a planar superconducting receiving antenna, and a cryogenic local oscillator, is described. Being dc-powered only by batteries, such a microcircuit operates as a submillimeter-wave superheterodyne receiver without any additional microwave equipment. Such receivers are very attractive for radioastronomical research, space communication systems, and monitoring of the environment from satellites, balloons, and special aircraft. A breadboard of a superconducting spectrometer with a phase-locked flux-flow oscillator (FFO) has been developed and tested. A frequency resolution better than 10 kHz was reached at a frequency of 365 GHz. We describe a balloon-borne 500-650 GHz integrated spectrometer for oblique atmospheric sounding, developed for the international Terahertz Limb Sounder (TELIS) project. The first flight is scheduled for 2005.     

Determination of Relaxation Time of a Josephson Tunnel Junction

We propose a non-stationary method to measure the energy relaxation time of Josephson tunnel junctions from microwave enhanced escape phenomena. Compared with the previous methods, our method possesses simple and accurate features. Moreover, having determined the energy relaxation time, we can further obtain the coupling strength between the microwave source and the junction by changing the microwave power.     

Characterization of Nb-Based Superconducting Microstrip Lines Around the Gap Frequency

Submillimter-wave SIS (superconductor-insulator-superconductor) mixers usually adopt SIS junctions associated with an integrated tuning circuit, which tunes out the junction's geometric capacitance and is typically an inductive thin-film superconducting microstrip line. This paper mainly investigates the characteristic of Nb-based superconducting microstrip lines around the junction's gap frequency, at which the surface resistance of Nb films becomes considerable, and its effect on the performance of SIS mixers.     

Pertubation analysis of the dynamical behavior of two-junction interferometers

The dynamical properties of symmetric quantum interferometers with equal junctions of negligible capacitance have been studied by means of perturbation analysis in the limit of small values of the parameter β. In this limit, two characteristic time constants arise. These quantities may be linked to two different dynamical processes in the system: the first is related to the time evolution of the average superconducting phase difference across the two junctions; the second defines the time scale for flux motion. The response of the system to constant and time-dependent externally applied magnetic fields is considered and a general perturbed solution for the average superconducting phase difference and the fluxon number variable is derived to first order in β.     

Resistively shunted Josephson tunnel junctions

SIS tunnel junctions have externally been shunted by a thin metallic film. It is shown that such devices exhibit radiation induced steps as point contacts or microbridges. This result agrees qualitatively with the commonly used lumped circuit model of Josephson junctions.     

The Application of Superconducting Tunnel Junction Detectors to Astronomy

Detectors based on the superconducting-insulating-superconducting (SIS) junction long ago surpassed Schottky-diode semiconductor detectors as the most sensitive heterodyne mixers in the millimeter and submillimeter (far-infrared) wavelength range. Other novel superconducting device configurations have been applied as direct detectors. Though still in the early stages of development, and yet to find widespread application, they have demonstrated advantages over traditional semiconductor detectors in specialized situations. Exciting progress has been made in recent years in developing the superconducting tunnel junctions (STJ) as a photon detector for optical and near-optical wavelengths, where silicon CCD's are currently dominant. I examine some of the areas in which the properties of STJ detectors may best match the instrument capabilities that astronomical observations require, and discuss the implications of the intrinsic spectral resolution of the STJ. This capability will enable a significant increase in observing efficiency, once the technology matures, that should justify increased complexity of cryogenic systems, particularly for instruments to be used on the next generation of large ground-based telescopes.     

Low-field magnetic response of multi-junction superconducting quantum interference devices

The magnetic states of multi-junction superconducting quantum interference device containing 2N identical conventional Josephson junctions are studied by means of a perturbation analysis of the non-linear first-order ordinary differential equations governing the dynamics of the Josephson junctions in these devices. In the zero-voltage state, persistent currents are calculated in terms of the externally applied magnetic flux Φ_ex . The resulting d.c. susceptibility curves show that paramagnetic and diamagnetic states are present, depending on the value of Φ_ex . The stability of these states is qualitatively studied by means of the effective potential notion for the system.     

Angular Dependence of Lateral and Levitation Forces in Asymmetric Small Magnet/Superconducting Systems

The dipole-dipole interaction model is used to calculate the angular dependence of lateral and levitation forces on a small permanent magnet and a cylindrical superconductor in the Meissner state lying laterally off the symmetric axis of the cylinder. Under the assumption that the lateral displacement of the magnet is small compared with the physical dimensions of the system, we obtain analytical expressions for the lateral and levitation forces as functions of geometrical parameters of the superconductor as well as the height, the lateral displacement and the orientation of magnetic moment of the magnet. The effect of thickness and radius of the superconductor on the levitation force is similar to that for a symmetric magnet/superconducting cylinder system, but within the range of lateral displacement. The splitting in the levitation force increases with the increasing angle of orientation of the magnetic moment of the magnet. For a given lateral displacement of the magnet, the lateral force vanishes when the magnetic moment is perpendicular to the surface of the superconductor and has a maximum value when the moment is parallel to the surface. For a given orientation of the magnetic moment, the lateral force has a linear relationship with the lateral displacement. The stability of the magnet above the superconducting cylinder is discussed in detail.     

Modified SQUID Operator Equation for a Single-Qubit Structure Coupled to a Quantum Resonator

Role of self-inductance in superconducting quantum interference device （SQUID） charge qubit is considered. It is found that when an SQUID charge qubit is coupled to a quantum LC resonator, the SQUID voltage operator equation is modified in accompanying with the modification of operator Faraday equation describing the inductance. It is shown that when the extra energy is applied to the junction, the mean phase will be squeezed according to a damping factor.     

Dynamics of radiation induced quasiparticles in superconducting tunnel junction detectors

In order to achieve a high resolution in the spectroscopy of low energy X-rays, detectors based on superconducting tunnel junctions as sensors are presently investigated. The knowledge of the processes affecting the signal generation in such sensors is essential for the interpretation of the detector response. Starting from a diffusion model including decay and tunneling of excess quasiparticles in the metal layers of a superconducting tunnel junction detector, the detector response is determined as a function of absorption position and of rate constants. Model predictions agree very well with experimental data. The advantages of a detector employing quasiparticle trapping are pointed out and the parameters determining the signal gain are deduced. The linearity of the detector signal is much more affected by pair recombination of the quasiparticles during their tunneling rather than during their diffusive propagation into the tunneling region.     

Whole-wafer fabrication process for three-terminal double stacked tunnel junctions

A new fabrication process for three-terminal superconducting devices consisting of two Josephson junctions in a stacked configuration is reported. The process is based on the deposition of the whole Nb/Al_xO_y/Nb-Al/Al_xO_y/Nb multilayer on a Si crystalline wafer without any vacuum breaking. Lift-off techniques, anodization processes and a SiO film deposition have been adopted for patterning and insulating the two tunnel stacked junctions. Devices have been characterized in terms of current-voltage (I-V) curves and Josephson critical current vs. the externally applied magnetic field. They show high quality factors (V _m values up to 65 mV at 4.2 K), and good current uniformity. Received 5 June 2001