Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2012.15362

Two-stage SQUID amplifier with bias current re-use

M. Kiviranta

Published Dec 30, 2020• 0 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We have designed and fabricated an integrated two-stage SQUID amplifier, requiring only one bias line and one flux setpoint line. From the biasing viewpoint the two stages are connected in series while from the signal propagation viewpoint the stages are cascaded. A proof-of principle demonstration at T = 4.2 K is presented.
DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2012.15362

Related papers

Two-Stage SQUID Amplifier With Bias Current Re-Use

M. Kiviranta, Leif Grönberg

Biasing arrangements in multi-channel multi-stage SQUID amplifier systems, such as Transition Edge Sensor matrices for astronomical observation (Barrett et al., 2023) or quantum science (Hummatov et al., 2023), typically require a large number of wires. This is due to the need for two or more cascaded SQUID stages to obtain sufficiently large power gain over a sufficient bandwidth, and due to moderate obtainable multiplexing factors, which forces implementation of many parallel readout chains to serve all the sensor pixels. We suggest an arrangement where one bias line and one flux setpoint line are shared by two cascaded SQUID stages on a single chip, halving the number of lines two cascaded stages would ordinarily require. The stages are connected in series, sharing a single supplycurrent, dual to ordinary integrated transistor circuits in which many transistor stages are connected in parallel and share a single supplyvoltage. We show experimental results atT= 4.2 K for a proof-of-concept amplifier chip, fabricated in the VTT Micronova foundry, using SWAPS Josephson junctions (Grönberg et al., 2017) atJC= 20 μA/(μm)2critical current density. The device shows larger than 3 kΩ transresistance, when operating fromLIN= 29 nH input inductance toRD< 150 Ω output dynamic resistance.

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity•Dec 16, 2024•2 citations

Design and operation of distributed double-SQUID amplifier for RSFQ circuits

Komei Higuchi, Hiroshi Shimada, Yoshinao Mizugaki

Recently, many groups have been developing on-chip Rapid Single-Flux-Quantum (RSFQ) output amplifiers which are designed to connect RSFQ circuitry to room temperature electronics. One of such amplifiers is a distributed SQUID amplifier comprising SQUIDs embedded in cascaded RSFQ RS flip-flops. In this paper, we propose a distributed double-SQUID amplifier, where a SQUID is replaced with a double-SQUID. Test circuit was fabricated using a niobium integration technology. Measurements were performed in a liquid helium bath. We confirmed that the maximum output voltage swing of a 4-stage distributed double- SQUID amplifier was 2.93 mV, which was comparable with the corresponding numerical value of 3.54 mV.

Journal of Physics Conference Series•Sep 1, 2019•3 citations

A low-noise, two-stage DC SQUID amplifier with high bandwidth and dynamic range

R. Cantor, L. P. Lee, Andrei N. Matlashov +1 more

We describe a low-noise, two-stage dc Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) amplifier that is designed for applications requiring high bandwidth and dynamic range. The output signal of a low-noise SQUID in the input stage coherently modulates a series array of identical SQUIDs in the output stage via a common modulation line. The input stage is designed so its output signal does not produce multiple modulation periods in the output stage. The output stage is designed to have sufficient gain so the output noise is dominated by the amplified noise of the input SQUID and exceeds the noise of a preamplifier in the room temperature readout electronics. The SQUID amplifier may therefore be operated without flux modulation or any impedance matching network, resulting in a large dynamic range and high bandwidth.

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity•Jun 1, 1997•11 citations

Two-stage S-band DC SQUID amplifier

G.V. Prokopenko, D Balashov, S. V. Shitov +2 more

A 6 mm/spl times/6 mm chip comprising two identical DC SQUID based amplifiers (SQAs) has been designed, fabricated and tested as a two-stage RF amplifier in a frequency range 3.5-4.0 GHz. Each SQA consists of a double washer type DC SQUID with novel integrated input resonant circuit. The reflection coefficient of both input and output of the SQA has been measured in the two stage configuration. To avoid SQA saturation at the wide band noise tests a tunable 40 MHz bandpass YIG-filter has been used. The following parameters of the two-stage SQA have been measured at the 3.65 GHz: gain of (17.5/spl plusmn/1) dB, 3 dB bandwidth of about 250 MHz, and noise temperature (4.0/spl plusmn/0.5)K what corresponds to intrinsic flux noise S/spl phi//sup 1/2//spl ap/0.6 /spl mu//spl Phi//sub 0/Hz/sup -1/2/ and energy sensitivity /spl epsiv//sub i//spl ap/75 /spl planck/ (7.8/spl middot/10/sup -33/ J/Hz). If the measured RF mismatch between the input/output of SQA and source signal/post-amplifier is taken into account a gain of (20.5/spl plusmn/1.5) dB and noise temperature as low as (2.5/spl plusmn/1.0) K (intrinsic flux noise S/spl phi//sup 1/2//spl ap/0.4 /spl mu//spl Phi//sub 0/Hz/sup -1/2/, energy sensitivity /spl epsiv//sub i//spl ap/47 /spl planck/) can be estimated.

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity•Jun 1, 1999•12 citations

Development of low-noise two-stage dc-SQUID for TES detector readout

Nan Li, Mengjie Song, Sixiao Hu +9 more

Abstract Direct-current superconducting quantum interference devices (dc-SQUIDs) are one of the most sensitive magnetic detectors. These sensors are extensively used in the readout of superconducting transition edge sensors (TESs), which are used for the detection of weak signals. A cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization telescope operating in 22–48 GHz is currently under developing. The TESs calorimeter of the telescope will be readout by a time-division multiplexer SQUID readout system. We develop a two-stage dc-SQUID amplifier circuit, comprising an input-stage SQUID with 4 SQUID cells and a series SQUID array with 100 SQUID cells. This configuration has been shown to achieve extremely high signal gain while effectively controlling system noise. We assess the system noise at 300 mK in an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator. The measured magnetic flux noise of the two-stage SQUID circuit system is approximately 0.3 μ Φ 0 / Hz at 10 kHz. The current noise equivalent to the input coil of input SQUID is about 2.4 pA / Hz . This result meets the low-noise readout requirements of the CMB TES and other applications with TES detectors.

Superconductor Science and Technology•Apr 1, 2026•0 citations

Some phenomena due to SQUID input properties when local feedback is present

M. Kiviranta, Leif Grönberg, Nikolai Beev +1 more

We have constructed a two-stage SQUID amplifier, in which series-mixing local feedback has been used to screen the SQUID input inductances and hence to boost the power gain of the amplifier. 2.9 pA/Hz 1/2 current noise and 2.9 nH input inductance of the lower SQUID stage imply energy resolution of 18 times Planck constant at 4.2 K, which, arguably, can be further improved by input inductance screening. The upper stage consists of a 184-series 4-parallel SQUID array, which, when used alone, shows lower than 0.03 μΦ 0 /Hz 2 flux noise, but which as a part of the two-stage amplifier is operated at a higher flux noise level to provide robust, EMI-tolerant output signal. The series-mixing feedback also facilitates negative SQUID input impedance, which would allow self-oscillating SQUID-based frequency domain multiplexing.

Journal of Physics Conference Series•May 12, 2014•11 citations
Biasing arrangements in multi-channel multi-stage SQUID amplifier systems, such as Transition Edge Sensor matrices for astronomical observation (Barrett et al., 2023) or quantum science (Hummatov et al., 2023), typically require a large number of wires. This is due to the need for two or more cascaded SQUID stages to obtain sufficiently large power gain over a sufficient bandwidth, and due to moderate obtainable multiplexing factors, which forces implementation of many parallel readout chains to serve all the sensor pixels. We suggest an arrangement where one bias line and one flux setpoint line are shared by two cascaded SQUID stages on a single chip, halving the number of lines two cascaded stages would ordinarily require. The stages are connected in series, sharing a single supplycurrent, dual to ordinary integrated transistor circuits in which many transistor stages are connected in parallel and share a single supplyvoltage. We show experimental results atT= 4.2 K for a proof-of-concept amplifier chip, fabricated in the VTT Micronova foundry, using SWAPS Josephson junctions (Grönberg et al., 2017) atJC= 20 μA/(μm)2critical current density. The device shows larger than 3 kΩ transresistance, when operating fromLIN= 29 nH input inductance toRD< 150 Ω output dynamic resistance.
Recently, many groups have been developing on-chip Rapid Single-Flux-Quantum (RSFQ) output amplifiers which are designed to connect RSFQ circuitry to room temperature electronics. One of such amplifiers is a distributed SQUID amplifier comprising SQUIDs embedded in cascaded RSFQ RS flip-flops. In this paper, we propose a distributed double-SQUID amplifier, where a SQUID is replaced with a double-SQUID. Test circuit was fabricated using a niobium integration technology. Measurements were performed in a liquid helium bath. We confirmed that the maximum output voltage swing of a 4-stage distributed double- SQUID amplifier was 2.93 mV, which was comparable with the corresponding numerical value of 3.54 mV.
We describe a low-noise, two-stage dc Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) amplifier that is designed for applications requiring high bandwidth and dynamic range. The output signal of a low-noise SQUID in the input stage coherently modulates a series array of identical SQUIDs in the output stage via a common modulation line. The input stage is designed so its output signal does not produce multiple modulation periods in the output stage. The output stage is designed to have sufficient gain so the output noise is dominated by the amplified noise of the input SQUID and exceeds the noise of a preamplifier in the room temperature readout electronics. The SQUID amplifier may therefore be operated without flux modulation or any impedance matching network, resulting in a large dynamic range and high bandwidth.
A 6 mm/spl times/6 mm chip comprising two identical DC SQUID based amplifiers (SQAs) has been designed, fabricated and tested as a two-stage RF amplifier in a frequency range 3.5-4.0 GHz. Each SQA consists of a double washer type DC SQUID with novel integrated input resonant circuit. The reflection coefficient of both input and output of the SQA has been measured in the two stage configuration. To avoid SQA saturation at the wide band noise tests a tunable 40 MHz bandpass YIG-filter has been used. The following parameters of the two-stage SQA have been measured at the 3.65 GHz: gain of (17.5/spl plusmn/1) dB, 3 dB bandwidth of about 250 MHz, and noise temperature (4.0/spl plusmn/0.5)K what corresponds to intrinsic flux noise S/spl phi//sup 1/2//spl ap/0.6 /spl mu//spl Phi//sub 0/Hz/sup -1/2/ and energy sensitivity /spl epsiv//sub i//spl ap/75 /spl planck/ (7.8/spl middot/10/sup -33/ J/Hz). If the measured RF mismatch between the input/output of SQA and source signal/post-amplifier is taken into account a gain of (20.5/spl plusmn/1.5) dB and noise temperature as low as (2.5/spl plusmn/1.0) K (intrinsic flux noise S/spl phi//sup 1/2//spl ap/0.4 /spl mu//spl Phi//sub 0/Hz/sup -1/2/, energy sensitivity /spl epsiv//sub i//spl ap/47 /spl planck/) can be estimated.
Abstract Direct-current superconducting quantum interference devices (dc-SQUIDs) are one of the most sensitive magnetic detectors. These sensors are extensively used in the readout of superconducting transition edge sensors (TESs), which are used for the detection of weak signals. A cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization telescope operating in 22–48 GHz is currently under developing. The TESs calorimeter of the telescope will be readout by a time-division multiplexer SQUID readout system. We develop a two-stage dc-SQUID amplifier circuit, comprising an input-stage SQUID with 4 SQUID cells and a series SQUID array with 100 SQUID cells. This configuration has been shown to achieve extremely high signal gain while effectively controlling system noise. We assess the system noise at 300 mK in an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator. The measured magnetic flux noise of the two-stage SQUID circuit system is approximately 0.3 μ Φ 0 / Hz at 10 kHz. The current noise equivalent to the input coil of input SQUID is about 2.4 pA / Hz . This result meets the low-noise readout requirements of the CMB TES and other applications with TES detectors.
We have constructed a two-stage SQUID amplifier, in which series-mixing local feedback has been used to screen the SQUID input inductances and hence to boost the power gain of the amplifier. 2.9 pA/Hz 1/2 current noise and 2.9 nH input inductance of the lower SQUID stage imply energy resolution of 18 times Planck constant at 4.2 K, which, arguably, can be further improved by input inductance screening. The upper stage consists of a 184-series 4-parallel SQUID array, which, when used alone, shows lower than 0.03 μΦ 0 /Hz 2 flux noise, but which as a part of the two-stage amplifier is operated at a higher flux noise level to provide robust, EMI-tolerant output signal. The series-mixing feedback also facilitates negative SQUID input impedance, which would allow self-oscillating SQUID-based frequency domain multiplexing.