We observe parametric amplification of electromagnetic (EM) waves produced by a flux-flow oscillator made of YBa2Cu3O7−δ Josephson junctions arrays coupled to the resonant modes of a millimeter wave Fabry–Pérot resonator at a pump frequency fP = 45 GHz. For temperatures in the range (30–45) K, the frequency fS of the EM signal to be amplified could be tuned continuously in the range (1–25) GHz by an applied B-field induced flux Φ with a one-flux-quantum Φ0 periodicity. Consequently, we measured a significant parametric gain that is almost frequency independent, with a maximum of (8–10.4) dB reached at 40 K. For temperatures in the range (14–30) K, the magnetic field tunability of fS is gradually suppressed to a minimum of (1–5) GHz range where a parametric gain between 5 and 6 dB was measured. With an appropriate adjustment of design/fabrication parameters, our results suggest that the development of tunable MW generators/detectors as well as parametric amplifiers made of high transition temperature superconductors and operating in a wide range of temperatures (10 mK–77 K) is a reasonable and appealing possibility.
We observe parametric amplification of electromagnetic (EM) waves produced by a flux-flow oscillator made of YBa2Cu3O7−δ Josephson junctions arrays coupled to the resonant modes of a millimeter wave Fabry–Pérot resonator at a pump frequency fP = 45 GHz. For temperatures in the range (30–45) K, the frequency fS of the EM signal to be amplified could be tuned continuously in the range (1–25) GHz by an applied B-field induced flux Φ with a one-flux-quantum Φ0 periodicity. Consequently, we measured a significant parametric gain that is almost frequency independent, with a maximum of (8–10.4) dB reached at 40 K. For temperatures in the range (14–30) K, the magnetic field tunability of fS is gradually suppressed to a minimum of (1–5) GHz range where a parametric gain between 5 and 6 dB was measured. With an appropriate adjustment of design/fabrication parameters, our results suggest that the development of tunable MW generators/detectors as well as parametric amplifiers made of high transition temperature superconductors and operating in a wide range of temperatures (10 mK–77 K) is a reasonable and appealing possibility.
Superconducting flux-flow-oscillators (FFOs) based on unidirectional flow of magnetic vortices in a single-long Josephson junction (JJ) and operating at 4.2 K are key elements of sub-terahertz integrated-receivers used in radio-astronomy and atmospheric science. Here, we report on the development of sub-terahertz FFOs based on parallel JJ-arrays made of YBa2Cu3O7−δ thin films. Sharp multiple flux-flow resonances were observed in the temperature range 77–89 K in asymmetric JJ-arrays, suggesting that they can operate as a narrow-band FFO in sub-terahertz integrated-receivers at more practical temperatures than 4.2 K. We detected electromagnetic radiation (EM) emitted by symmetric JJ-arrays in the range of 30–45 K using on-chip build superconducting detectors based on single JJs. For both asymmetric and symmetric JJ-arrays, the frequency f of the emitted radiation could be tuned continuously by an applied magnetic flux Φ with a one-flux-quantum Φ0 periodicity. Remarkably, since f can be tuned continuously, there are no gaps in the frequency range of the emitted EM. The fundamental Φ0-periodicity of f(Φ) is similar in nature to a SQUID's voltage response V(Φ) and, consequently, using high-performance magnetic flux-to-field conversion and readout techniques, a sensitive field-to-frequency magnetometer can be developed. Incorporated into non-accessible micro/nanostructures as a magnetic sensor, it would allow precise measurements of magnetic-fields from a distance, without the need to measure it locally as the radiation is detected remotely.
Abstract We present experimental results for a Josephson parametric amplifier tailored for readout of ultra-sensitive thermal microwave detectors. In particular, we discuss the impact of fabrication details on the performance. We show that the small volume of deposited dielectric materials enabled by the side-wall passivated spacer niobium junction technology leads to robust operation across a wide range of operating temperatures up to 1.5 K. The flux-pumped amplifier has gain in excess of 20 dB in three-wave mixing and its center frequency is tunable between 540–640 MHz. At 600 MHz, the amplifier adds 105 mK ±9 mK of noise, as determined with the hot/cold source method. Phase-sensitive amplification is demonstrated with the device.
Arrays of 10 or 40 series-connected small densely packed Josephson tunnel junctions were successfully operated as parametric amplifiers at 10 GHz. Between 50 and 90% of the junctions in an array were observed to work coherently in the amplification process. Signal gain exceeding 24 dB was achieved with a pump power as low as −50 to −70 dBm. A power width (i.e., the range of the pump power for a gain within 3 dB of the peak gain) of 0.25 dB and a bandwidth of 15 MHz were measured for 20-dB gain. The power width was in accordance with theory but the bandwidth was reduced, probably due to noise saturation effects. The latter effects can be reduced by lowering the input noise temperature or by including an external band limitation. The noise temperature was also increased by saturation; however, with an external bandwidth of 60 MHz, a noise temperature of 30±20 K was measured. The application of a magnetic field has proved extremely useful as a means of tuning the amplifiers to stable high-gain operating points. This tuning was also utilized in evaluating the amplifier parameters, and the theory by Feldman, Parrish, and Chiao has been verified. The upper frequency limit for a lead tunnel junction amplifier ought to be well above 300 GHz.
We introduce a near-quantum-limited amplifier with a large tunable bandwidth and high dynamic range---the Josephson array-mode parametric amplifier (JAMPA). The signal and idler modes involved in the amplification process are realized by the array modes of a chain of 1000 flux-tunable Josephson-junction-based nonlinear elements. The frequency spacing between the array modes is comparable to the flux tunability of the modes, ensuring that any desired frequency can be occupied by a resonant mode, which can further be pumped to produce high gain. We experimentally demonstrate that the device can be operated as a nearly quantum-limited parametric amplifier with 20 dB of gain at almost any frequency within a 4--12-GHz band. On average, it has a 3-dB bandwidth of 11 MHz and an input 1-dB compression power of $\ensuremath{-}108\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{dBm}$, which can go as high as $\ensuremath{-}93\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{dBm}$. We envision the application of such a device to the time- and frequency-multiplexed readout of multiple qubits, as well as to the generation of continuous-variable cluster states.
Abstract Superconducting Parametric Amplifiers (SPAs) with near-quantum-limited added noise are crucial for weak signal detection applications such as astronomical receivers, quantum computation, and fundamental physics experiments. Commercially available SPAs include Josephson Parametric Amplifiers (JPAs), which offer high gain but narrow bandwidth performance; and Josephson-junction Travelling Wave Parametric Amplifiers (JTWPAs), which provide broader bandwidth at the cost of a complicated fabrication procedure, lower fabrication yield, and larger footprint area. In this paper, we investigate the parametric amplification of microwave signals in a Josephson array embedded in a low-Q Fabry-Pérot cavity. We fabricated a 500-junction array device and measured >15 dB phase-preserving gain over a ∼350 MHz bandwidth, while offering almost two orders of magnitude improvement in compression point (P 1dB = −106.2 dBm) compared to standard JPAs. Furthermore, using a novel measurement technique, we configured our device to operate in the phase-sensitive mode, measuring a phase-sensitive extinction ratio (PSER) of 42.3 ± 2.81 dB, in line with state-of-the-art values for JPAs. These promising performances, combined with the ease of fabrication and improved yield compared with JTWPAs, underscore the potential of these devices for applications in advanced detection schemes.
In this Master thesis, I present a theoretical description and experimental measurements of a tunable microwave resonator operated as a parametric amplifier. Superconducting parametric amplifiers have attracted great interest in recent years as it has been demonstrated that they can operate with a noise performance at the standard quantum limit. \nParametric amplification is achieved in the devices by modulating the electrical length of the resonator at twice the resonance frequency. The device measured in this thesis consists of a quarter-wavelength microwave resonator fabricated in a thin-film aluminum coplanar waveguide geometry. With a termination to ground through a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID), the boundary condition of the resonator becomes sensitive to an applied magnetic field. This enables the tuning of the resonance frequencies, using a DC magnetic field, over a wide frequency range of 670MHz. Similarly, an AC magnetic field then allows for the modulation of the resonator electrical length at microwave frequencies. \nWe characterized the device by first measuring the DC tuning curves of the 2nd and 3rd harmonics of the resonator, around 4 GHz and 6 GHz respectively. We then studied parametric amplification in the device when the electrical length was modulated at approximately twice the resonance frequency of one of the modes. We scanned the pump frequency and pump power over a wide range to study the region in parameters which gives parametric gain. We performed an in-depth parameter sweep over this region, identifying pump parameters that provided maximum gain and maximum system noise improvements compared the following HEMT amplifier. \nWe find that the use of the parametric amplifier can improve the system noise temperature by more than 10 dB compared to a start-of-the-art commercial HEMT amplifier. This implies a performance near the standard quantum limit.