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Applied Physics Letters

Spatially resolved detection of mutually locked Josephson junctions in arrays

M. Keck, T. Doderer, Rudolf Peter Huebener, T. Traeuble, R. Dolata, Thomas Weimann, J. Niemeyer

Published Jul 14, 1997• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Mutual locking due to the internal coupling in two-dimensional arrays of Josephson junctions was investigated. The appearance of Shapiro steps in the current versus voltage curve of a coupled on-chip detector junction is used to indicate coherent oscillations in the array. A highly coherent state is observed for some range of the array bias current. By scanning the array with a low-power electron beam, mutually locked junctions remain locked while the unlocked junctions generate a beam-induced additional voltage drop at the array. This imaging technique allows the detection of the nonlocked or weakly locked Josephson junctions in a (partially) locked array state.

DOI
10.1063/1.119516

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Mutual locking due to the internal coupling in two-dimensional arrays of Josephson junctions was investigated. The appearance of Shapiro steps in the current versus voltage curve of a coupled on-chip detector junction is used to indicate coherent oscillations in the array. A highly coherent state is observed for some range of the array bias current. By scanning the array with a low-power electron beam, mutually locked junctions remain locked while the unlocked junctions generate a beam-induced additional voltage drop at the array. This imaging technique allows the detection of the nonlocked or weakly locked Josephson junctions in a (partially) locked array state.
We have investigated two-dimensional arrays of overdamped Josephson junctions that have been fabricated in Nb/Al/sub 2/O/sub 3//Nb-technology, together with microwave coupling structures. Different arrays have shown to emit coherent microwave radiation by using microwave-coupled on-chip detectors. Low-temperature scanning electron microscopy is used to study the coupling of the microwave radiation to an on-chip load. From the appearance of Shapiro steps in the current vs. voltage curves of detector junctions for different degrees of disorder in the array-junctions, margins of the spread in the critical currents of the Josephson junctions for coherent oscillation can be drawn.
The authors have detected coherent emission from two-dimensional (2D) arrays of superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) Josephson junctions. 2D arrays emit coherent radiation over a frequency range of 60 to 210 GHz, when coupled to detector junctions through DC-blocking capacitors. The detector junctions exhibit Shapiro steps at frequencies corresponding to the voltage across single-array junctions. The maximum power from a 10-by-10 junction-array coupled to a detector junction occurs at 150 GHz and is estimated to be 0.4 mu W, based on simulations of the detector circuit. By varying the number of array junctions, the array geometry, the junction critical current, and the coupling circuit, they have begun determining the essential conditions for observing coherent emission.
Coherent emission has been generated by two-dimensional arrays of SIS Josephson junctions and detected in a junction coupled to the array through a dc-blocking capacitor. The detector junction exhibits Shapiro steps at frequencies corresponding to the voltage across single array junctions and ranging from 60 to 210 GHz. The maximum power coupled to the detector junction occurs at 150 GHz and is estimated to be 0.9 μW, based on simulations of the detector circuit. Possible mechanisms for coherent emission from two-dimensional arrays are discussed.
We have investigated the mutual phase interaction between a single detector junction and a phase-locked three-junction array of high-T/sub c/ Josephson junctions. The YBCO Josephson junctions were fabricated on a MgO bicrystal substrate. In the array junction structure, the dc bias current was fed to the junction array having parallel geometry with each pair of junctions shunted by a superconducting coplanar microstrip superconducting loop. The configuration of bias leads was a series connection of interlocking dc SQUIDs geometry which enables all junctions to oscillate at the same frequency. We measured the radiation power of a Josephson-junction array using an off-chip coupled to a radiometer and on-chip coupled to a single junction from centimeter- to millimeter-wave ranges. Clear self-induced Shapiro steps were observed in the current-voltage curves of the detector junction. The power transfered to the single detector junction was estimated from the modulation of Shapiro step height. The maximum detected power level was about 7 nW at frequency 150-250 GHz. The Josephson oscillation power excited the resonant mode coupled to the coplanar microstrip loops.
We discuss the dynamics of two-dimensional arrays of Josephson junctions in the overdamped regime. Our discussion is restricted to “classical” arrays, where the Josephson coupling energy is much larger than the charging energy. Such arrays represent a highly controllable system to study the dynamics of vortices. Furthermore, they are promising for applications like, e.g., a coherent microwave source. The experiments have been performed with arrays of Nb/AlOx/Nb-tunnel junctions allowing a high degree of junction uniformity across the array. The typical array size is 10×10 junctions. We show spatially resolved measurement results obtained by low-temperature scanning electron microscopy, and demonstrate the merit of these investigations for the clarification of complex regimes of vortex dynamics as well as for the optimization of coherent microwave sources. In the case of external microwave irradiation with increasing power, a continuous transition from a non-locked to a completely locked oscillation state is presented. In addition, we report on the quantitative measurement of the emitted microwave power from the arrays.
A one-dimensional (1D) parallel array of shunted Josephson junctions is one of the basic elements in the family of rapid single-flux quantum logic circuits. It was found recently that current steps always show up in the current-voltage curve of the generator junction when an additional bias current is applied to the edge junction of the array. This effect was found to be due to the self-induced magnetic field produced by the edge current. This nonuniform field divides the array into domains each spanning several unit cells and each containing the same number of flux quanta. We report on experimental results obtained by low-temperature scanning electron microscopy (LTSEM) on the 1D array. The (1--3)-\ensuremath{\mu}m spatial resolution achieved by LTSEM enables us to image these domains in scanned measurements where the junctions in the array are heated sequentially. Computer simulations confirm the mechanism of the obtained images and the number of observed domains corresponds to the step position as predicted numerically.