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arXiv:2512.03362

Hybridized-Mode Parametric Amplifier in Kinetic-Inductance Circuits

Danial Davoudi, Abdul Mohamed, Shabir Barzanjeh

quant-phcond-mat.supr-conSubmitted Dec 3, 2025• Announced Dec 4, 2025• 0 citations
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Abstract

Parametric amplification is essential for quantum measurement, enabling the amplification of weak microwave signals with minimal added noise. While Josephson-junction-based amplifiers have become standard in superconducting quantum circuits, their magnetic sensitivity, limited saturation power, and sub-kelvin operating requirements motivate the development of alternative nonlinear platforms. Here we demonstrate a two-mode kinetic-inductance parametric amplifier based on a pair of capacitively coupled Kerr-nonlinear resonators fabricated from NbTiN and NbN thin films. The distributed Kerr nonlinearity of these materials enables nondegenerate four-wave-mixing amplification with gains approaching 40 dB, gain-bandwidth products up to 6.9 MHz, and 1-dB compression powers two to three orders of magnitude higher than those of state-of-the-art Josephson amplifiers. A coupled-mode theoretical model accurately captures the pump-induced modification of the hybridized modes and quantitatively reproduces the observed signal and idler responses. The NbN device exhibits a significantly larger Kerr coefficient and superior gain-bandwidth performance, highlighting the advantages of high-kinetic-inductance materials. Our results establish coupled kinetic-inductance resonators as a robust platform for broadband, high-power, and magnetically resilient quantum-limited amplification, offering a scalable route for advanced readout in superconducting qubits, spin ensembles, quantum dots, and other microwave-quantum technologies.

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Parametric amplification is essential for quantum measurement, enabling the amplification of weak microwave signals with minimal added noise. While Josephson-junction-based amplifiers have become standard in superconducting quantum circuits, their magnetic sensitivity, limited saturation power, and sub-kelvin operating requirements motivate the development of alternative nonlinear platforms. Here we demonstrate a two-mode kinetic-inductance parametric amplifier based on a pair of capacitively coupled Kerr-nonlinear resonators fabricated from NbTiN and NbN thin films. The distributed Kerr nonlinearity of these materials enables nondegenerate four-wave-mixing amplification with gains approaching 40 dB, gain-bandwidth products up to 6.9 MHz, and 1-dB compression powers two to three orders of magnitude higher than those of state-of-the-art Josephson amplifiers. A coupled-mode theoretical model accurately captures the pump-induced modification of the hybridized modes and quantitatively reproduces the observed signal and idler responses. The NbN device exhibits a significantly larger Kerr coefficient and superior gain-bandwidth performance, highlighting the advantages of high-kinetic-inductance materials. Our results establish coupled kinetic-inductance resonators as a robust platform for broadband, high-power, and magnetically resilient quantum-limited amplification, offering a scalable route for advanced readout in superconducting qubits, spin ensembles, quantum dots, and other microwave-quantum technologies.
A quantum-limited amplifier enables the amplification of weak signals while introducing minimal noise dictated by the principles of quantum mechanics. Such amplifiers serve a broad spectrum of applications in quantum computing, including fast and accurate readout of superconducting qubits and spins, as well as various uses in quantum sensing and metrology. Parametric amplification, primarily developed with use of Josephson junctions, has evolved into the leading technology for highly effective microwave measurements within quantum circuits. Despite their significant contributions, these amplifiers face fundamental limitations, such as their inability to handle high powers, their sensitivity to parasitic magnetic fields, and particularly their limitation to operate only at millikelvin temperatures. To tackle these challenges, here we experimentally develop a novel quantum-limited amplifier based on superconducting kinetic inductance and present an extensive theoretical model to describe this nonlinear coupled-mode system. Our device surpasses the conventional constraints associated with Josephson-junction amplifiers by operating at much higher temperatures up to 4.5 K. With two distinct spectral modes and tunability through bias current, this amplifier can operate selectively in both the single-mode-amplification regime and the double-mode-amplification regime near the quantum noise limit. Using a nonlinear thin film exhibiting kinetic inductance, our device attains gain exceeding 50 dB in a single-mode configuration and 32 dB in a double-mode configuration, while adding 0.82 input-referred noise quanta. Importantly, this amplifier eliminates the need for Josephson junctions, resulting in the capability to handle significantly higher powers than Josephson junction--based amplifiers. It also demonstrates resilience in the presence of magnetic fields, offers a straightforward design, and increases reliability. This positions the amplifier as a versatile solution for quantum applications and facilitates its integration into future superconducting quantum computers.
Parametric amplification enables sensitive microwave detection and signal processing by amplifying weak signals with minimal added noise. Here, we demonstrate kinetic inductance mediated parametric amplification in a hybrid magnonic system comprising a nonlinear NbN nanowire resonator strongly coupled to a yttrium iron garnet sphere. The resonator exhibits four wave mixing and nonlinear frequency pulling, enabling parametric amplification both away from and within the magnon-photon strong coupling regime. In the magnon detuned regime, we observe 7 dB gain, while coupling to the YIG magnon shifts the parametric amplification response by ~20 MHz and yields 3.4 dB gain in the hybrid mode. Thus, magnon photon coupling provides a route to magnetically tune the spectral position of kinetic inductance parametric amplification. At higher pump powers, the system transitions to a self oscillatory regime featuring comb-like sidebands and probe activated nonlinear mode mixing. These results establish hybrid magnonics as a platform for tunable nonlinear microwave amplification and dynamics.
Advancing superconducting quantum devices to higher operating frequencies broadens their functionality and enables operation at elevated temperatures, but it also requires near-quantum-limited amplifiers beyond the few-gigahertz regime. Here we present a junction-free, kinetic-inductance parametric amplifier based on thin-film niobium nitride (NbN) operating at 23 GHz in the microwave K-band, achieving a gain up to 40 dB, a 100 MHz gain-bandwidth product, a 1 dB saturation input power of -85 dBm with 23 dB gain, and added noise no greater than 1.4 quanta for phase-preserving amplification. Leveraging the large superconducting gap of NbN, this architecture can be extended to even higher frequencies, supporting applications such as high-fidelity readout of millimeter-wave superconducting qubits and axion searches over an expanded mass window.
Advancing superconducting quantum devices to higher operating frequencies broadens their functionality and enables operation at elevated temperatures, but it also requires near-quantum-limited amplifiers beyond the few-gigahertz regime. Here, we present a junction-free, kinetic-inductance parametric amplifier based on thin-film niobium nitride (NbN) operating at 23 GHz in the microwave K-band, achieving a gain up to 40 dB, a 100 MHz gain–bandwidth product, a 1 dB saturation input power of −85 dBm with 23 dB gain, and added noise not greater than 1.4 quanta for phase-preserving amplification. Leveraging the large superconducting gap of NbN, this architecture can be extended to even higher frequencies, supporting applications such as high-fidelity readout of millimeter-wave superconducting qubits and axion searches over an expanded mass window.
Parametric converters are parametric amplifiers that mix two spatially separate nondegenerate modes and are commonly used for amplifying and squeezing microwave signals in quantum computing and sensing. In Josephson parametric converters, the strong localized nonlinearity of the Josephson junction limits the amplification and squeezing, as well as the dynamic range, in current devices. In contrast, a weak distributed nonlinearity can provide higher gain and dynamic range, when implemented as a kinetic inductance (KI) nanowire of a dirty superconductor, and has additional benefits such as resilience to magnetic field, higher-temperature operation, and simplified fabrication. Here, we propose, demonstrate, and analyze the performance of a KI parametric converter that relies on the weak distributed nonlinearity of a Nb-Ti-N KI nanowire. The device utilizes three-wave mixing induced by a dc current bias. We demonstrate its operation as a nondegenerate parametric amplifier with high phase-sensitive gain, reaching two-mode amplification and deamplification of approximately 30 dB for two resonances separated by 0.8 GHz, in excellent agreement with our theory of the device. We observe a dynamic range of $\ensuremath{-}108$ dBm at 30 dB gain. Our device can significantly broaden applications of quantum-limited signal processing devices including phase-preserving amplification and two-mode squeezing.
Microwave parametric amplifiers operating at the quantum noise limit have become indispensable tools for a range of cryogenic quantum technologies. These amplifiers are typically constructed from nonlinear Josephson junctions, which limit the ability to amplify high-power signals. This study reports a device based instead on the weakly nonlinear kinetic inductance intrinsic to a superconducting film of niobium titanium nitride. The amplifier offers large phase-sensitive gain and high power handling, plus a simple design and fabrication process. As it contains no junctions, it is robust to electrostatic discharge and potentially operable under high temperatures and large magnetic fields.