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Japanese Journal of Applied Physics

Microwave Generation using a SNS Junction

Adir M Luiz, R. Nicolsky

Published Jun 1, 1991• 8 citations
Publisher

Abstract

It has been shown recently that the current-voltage characteristic of a metallic (non-tunneling) Josephson junction could exhibit a negative differential resistance at low voltages, as a predictable and reproducible effect. This letter shows an alternative procedure to generate non-Josephson microwaves (in the cm and mm range) taking advantage of this effect. It is shown that, instead of obtaining harmonic oscillations with the AC Josephson effect, it is possible to generate microwaves using the averaged IVC (current-voltage characteristics) of a SNS junction (a Josephson junction which exhibits no tunneling and has no hysteresis in the IVC).

DOI
10.1143/jjap.30.1218

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Conference on Precision Electromagnetic Measurements•Jul 1, 2018•1 citation
It has been shown recently that the current-voltage characteristic of a metallic (non-tunneling) Josephson junction could exhibit a negative differential resistance at low voltages, as a predictable and reproducible effect. This letter shows an alternative procedure to generate non-Josephson microwaves (in the cm and mm range) taking advantage of this effect. It is shown that, instead of obtaining harmonic oscillations with the AC Josephson effect, it is possible to generate microwaves using the averaged IVC (current-voltage characteristics) of a SNS junction (a Josephson junction which exhibits no tunneling and has no hysteresis in the IVC).
A Superconducting - Normal metal - Superconducting junction (SNS junction) may exhibit a Low Voltage Negative Differential Resistance (LVNDR) effect over part of its Current Voltage Characteristic (CVC). As the LVNDR effect is stable against a bias voltage at this CVC range, it should be possible to combine a SNS junction with conventional electronic circuits to obtain electronic devices such as mixers, amplifiers and oscillators. Making use of this remarkable effect, we show tliat an amplifier may be feasible by assembling a simple voltage divider made up of a SNS junction in series witli a resistor. The amplifier circuit includes an adjustable DC voltage supply (the bias voltage) and an AC signal source with a given voltage. The SNS junction is connected in series with a resistor R. Choosing values of the load resistance R approximately equal to the module of the negative differential resistance (dV/dI), at the bias voltage, we may obtain large gains in this amplifier device. In order to get an oscillator, the SNS junction should be connected to a RLC tank circuit with a bias voltage adjusted in the range of the LVNDR region of its CVC. A power output of the order of one microwatt may be easily obtained.
We report signal amplification and harmonic multiplication processes based on the nonlinear current-voltage characteristics (CVC) displayed by superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS) junctions. Such junctions may exhibit a negative differential resistance at low voltages, the so called low-voltage-negative-differential-resistance (LVNDR) effect. This effect is due to the quantum mechanical multiple Andreev reflection mechanism in very clean systems and is stable against a bias voltage. Therefore, it is in principle possible to use these junctions as an active element in a variety of circuit applications such as oscillators, amplifiers or mixers, in the microwave and millimeter-wave range.
Conventional negative resistance effects can be generated with a Josephson junction quite similar to that obtained with Varactor diodes, with the additional advantage that the internal, self-generated oscillations serve as a pump, i. e., only a dc source is needed instead of a high frequency pump source. However, another negative resistance effect typical for a Josephson junction is possible as has been predicted recently for the current controlled, highly damped junction model. The effect has recently been demonstrated experimentally at 9 GHz. Characteristically, the pump (Josephson) frequency is smaller than the frequency of the amplified signal and the pump mechanism is effective over a broad range of frequencies in contrast to the conventional parametric negative resistance effect where the pump frequency exceeds that of the signal and idler and where the frequency of operation is limited to a narrow range. The broad-band feature renders the amplifier operation uncritical to tuning and bias voltage fluctuations. The fact that the junction is the element of lowest impedance in the circuit alleviates to a degree the matching problem generally encountered with Josephson contacts. An assessment of the competitiveness of this effect in microwave technology is given.
We propose new designs for millimeter-wave heterodyne detectors using the negative differential resistance of SNS junctions. The SNS junction may be used as the local oscillator in conventional receivers or a single SNS junction may be simultaneously used as the local oscillator and as the mixer itself, taking advantage of the nonlinearity of the current-voltage characteristic (CVC) of the junction. We calculate CVC curves for high-Tc SNS junctions (YBCO-SNS junctions), which are expressed as a function of T/Tc and other parameters.
Superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS) junctions are well-suited for large-scale integrated superconducting circuits. Potential applications are programmable voltage standards, digital-to-analog converters and large-scale RSFQ circuits. The application of SNS junctions provides some advantages, e.g. a simplified fabrication technology and reduced parasitic inductances. But it requires a technological process with dimensions down to the submicrometer region to achieve sufficiently high characteristic voltages I/sub C/R/sub N/. In our process the normal metal interlayer is titanium. Therefore the sidewall insulation of the junctions can be made by anodization, as it is known from the Nb-Al technology. Nb-Ti-Nb Josephson junctions and junction arrays were fabricated down to the submicrometer range with I/sub C/R/sub N/ values up to 87 microvolt depending on the titanium thickness. Their measured critical currents have a small spread of about 10 percent. Shapiro steps are observed under the influence of microwave irradiation. For the application of such junctions in a programmable Josephson voltage standard a new type of microwave circuit using coplanar strips is proposed and successfully tested in 10 V SIS circuits.