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IEEE Transactions on Magnetics

Effects of junction geometry on performance of flux-flow type Josephson oscillator

Keiji Yoshida, Tadao Nagatsuma, K. Sueoka, Keiji Enpuku, F. Irie

Published Mar 1, 1985• 13 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Theoretical and experimental studies have been made of the effects of junction geometry on the performance of the flux-flow type Josephson oscillator. It is shown theoretically that the height and the slope of the current steps appearing in dc I-V curves of the junction, which determine the available power and the radiation linewidth of the oscillator, respectively, are dependent strongly upon self fields in the junction. In order to study the effects of junction geometries on the self fields, computer simulation and experiments have been carries out for an in-line junction, an overlap junction and an overlap junction with a small projection on one side. The best performance is obtained for the overlap junction with a moderate projection on side as expected theoretically.

DOI
10.1109/tmag.1985.1063752

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Theoretical and experimental studies have been made of the effects of junction geometry on the performance of the flux-flow type Josephson oscillator. It is shown theoretically that the height and the slope of the current steps appearing in dc I-V curves of the junction, which determine the available power and the radiation linewidth of the oscillator, respectively, are dependent strongly upon self fields in the junction. In order to study the effects of junction geometries on the self fields, computer simulation and experiments have been carries out for an in-line junction, an overlap junction and an overlap junction with a small projection on one side. The best performance is obtained for the overlap junction with a moderate projection on side as expected theoretically.
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A Flux-Flow Oscillator (FFO) is a long Josephson junction in which a unidirectional flow of magnetic flux quanta is maintained by an applied DC magnetic field and a bias current. In the overlap geometry the FFO voltage and thus its oscillation frequency is controlled independently by the (overlap) bias current and the so-called "control line" (inline) current, which creates the magnetic field at the ends of the FFO. We have studied both DC properties and the linewidth of the emitted radiation for an FFO, which can be biased in different ways; as a four current terminal object. The bias current of the mixed inline-overlap type is applied through the terminals commonly used for the "control line" current. In this configuration the bias current also contributes to the magnetic field at one of the two FFO ends. This changes the steepness of the junction's I-V characteristics and therefore the bias current dynamic resistance. The experimental FFO linewidth was found to be independent of the bias configuration and determined by the dynamic resistance of the junction with pure overlap bias current. A new method has been developed to evaluate the difference in the DC magnetic field at the ends of the junction. It may be attributed to control line redistribution caused by the impedance matching RF circuit connected to the FFO at the end where the fluxon chain annihilates and radiation is emitted. We found that the opposite end, where the fluxons enter the junction, appears to be about three times more sensitive to variations of the magnetic field than the radiating end.
Presently the Josephson Flux Flow Oscillator (FFO) is the best on-chip integrated local oscillator in all-superconducting sub-millimeter wavelength receivers based on SIS mixers. Potential applications are spectral investigations in astronomy, atmospheric pollution, biophysics, etc. Theoretically, the linewidth of the emitted radiation from the FFO - as for all other Josephson oscillators - should be given by the well-known lumped junction expression containing only internal noise and quantities measured from the DC I-V characteristic. The FFO, however, differs from the other members of the Josephson oscillator family in needing also an external magnetic field bias. Several theoretical models have been proposed adding also external noise. Experimentally the linewidth may be fitted by a simple extension of the lumped junction expression including also the measured dynamic resistance of the magnetic bias current. We suggest a simple solution to this based on the assumption that the DC bias current e.g. due to geometrical asymmetries creates an additional contribution to the magnetic field in the junction.
The first object of this work is to theoretically study the effects of tunnel junction parameters on flux-flow Josephson oscillators (FFOs) by numerical simulation and to experimentally study the rf properties of FFOs by integrating them together with an SIS (superconductor-insulator-superconductor) mixer/detector on a chip. By using a CAD modeled integrated sub-mm wave receiver, the composite linewidth of two FFOs was measured to be less than 2.1 MHz in the band 280-330 GHz. The receiver consists of two identical FFOs and an SIS mixer. The linewidth was determined by mixing the two signals in the SIS mixer and analyzing the intermediate frequency. The output power coupled to a 10 .OMEGA. microstripline was about 0.5 µW, and could be adjusted by changing the current bias of the oscillator. The FFOs are connected to the SIS mixer via interdigital capacitors. The FFOs and the SIS element are made of Nb/NbOx/PbBi junctions by the "reactive ion beam oxidation" technique with the critical current density jc controlled by the oxidation time. Lift-off stencils for defining the junction sizes and the top-electrodes were made by using electron-beam writing on PMMA/Copolymer double layer resist. The jc of a long Josephson junction (LJJ) determines the fluxon motion. For LJJs which had jc > 1 kA/cm2, velocity-matching (VM, where the phase velocity of propagating fluxons equals that of the electromagnetic wave in the LJJ) steps could be tuned linearly from about 0.2 to 1.4 mV by an applied magnetic field. Coupled radiation at around 100 GHz (about 3 nW), 261 GHz (4.6 nW), and 330 GHz (0.43 µW), from flux-flow oscillations, was observed. From the step's steepness, the junction quality factor QJ is determined. QJ is between 4 to 7 in the voltage range of 0.4 to 1 mV. Coupled radiation (> 3 nW) at around 100 GHz corresponding to resonant soliton oscillation in low jc samples (250 to 1000 A/cm2) was detected. Simulations show that, for a uniform bias feed, the height of the VM step .gammam increases almost linearly with the external magnetic field .beta.e and the quasiparticle loss .alpha., but is less dependent on the surface loss .beta.. An approximate expression .gammam = a + .alpha(1+b).beta.e agrees with simulations. The maximum ac output voltage decreases with increasing dampings .alpha. and .beta.. It is important to include the .beta.-term in the mathematical model. The second part of this work is devoted to rf properties of long YBa2Cu3O7-.delta. (YBCO) grain boundary junctions made on 0- 32 °. [001]-tilt YSZ bicrystals. Josephson flux-flow resonances and Fiske resonances were observed. The first resonances could be tuned from about 0.5 to 2.0 mV in a 30 µm long junction at 16 K, and we determined the ratio between barrier thickness and relative dielectric constant td/.epsilon.r=2.9 Å and the loss .alpha.= 1.3 at 16 K. Simulations support the experimental observation that Josephson vortices can propagate unidirectionally in an overdamped, homogeneous junction up to .alpha.Ã? 2. From the Fiske resonances at 256-638 GHz, their Q-values, and the Steward-McCumber parameter, we find td/.epsilon.r=4 Å, the London penetration depth .gamma.L=145±5 nm and the surface resistance RS ~20 m.OMEGA. at 280 GHz. We conclude that the boundary is dielectric and the YBCO grains are well superconducting within 5-20 nm from the boundary. The dielectric between the grains could be part of a tunnel barrier and/or a matrix for filamentary conduction. Josephson flux-flow transitors based on long bicrystal junctions were made with an Au loop used as the control line. The line modulated the critical current Ic. Current gain larger than unity was obtained below 70 K. The gain increased with the junction length and varied roughly like the square root Ic when adjusting the temperature. A transresistance larger than 5 .OMEGA. was obtained at 15 K. Better performance is expected from junctions with high current densities.
A theoretical study is made of a travelling-wave-type oscillator, which utilizes a flux flow in a long Josephson junction for use as a local oscillator in the integrated superconducting receiver system. An internal electromagnetic field of the oscillator junction in the flux-flow state is investigated both numerically and analytically. It is shown that the voltage amplitude of the internal oscillation increases gradually in the direction of the flux flow and reaches a maximum value at the junction end. An equivalent circuit of the oscillator is also obtained, which gives dependences of the emitted radiation on frequency, magnetic field, and load. It is shown that the output power attains the value of the order of 10−6 W in the frequency range between 100 and 500 GHz, and that the output power and the radiation frequency can be controlled by both the bias voltage and the applied magnetic field. These theoretical results explain quantitatively the experimental ones with a Pb-alloy long junction of length 24 λJ.
The Flux Flow Oscillator (FFO) is a long Josephson junction in which a DC bias current and a DC magnetic field maintain a unidirectional viscous flow of magnetic flux quanta. The theoretical linewidth of the electromagnetic radiation generated at the end boundary is due to internal current fluctuations as given by the usual expression for the lumped junction. Experimentally, however, the linewidth deviates significantly both in magnitude and functional dependence. We suggest a simple solution based on the assumption that the bias current creates an additional magnetic field in the junction. This is supported by linewidth measurements on FFO's subjected to different bias configurations.