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Applied Physics Letters

Josephson-junction arrays as high-efficiency sources of coherent millimeter-wave radiation

Branimir Vasilić, S. V. Shitov, Christopher J. Lobb, Paola Barbara

Published Feb 19, 2001• 30 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Recent experiments have indicated that Josephson-junction arrays can radiate coherently in a laser-like fashion, as predicted by theoretical work in the 1970s. We present results from measurements of high-efficiency Josephson-junction arrays coupled to resonant cavities. In one of our samples with four columns and 36 rows, the dc to ac (180 GHz) conversion efficiency reaches an asymptotic value of about 32%. Using a simple circuit model we show that we have achieved optimal dc to ac conversion in this sample.

DOI
10.1063/1.1350431

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Recent experiments have indicated that Josephson-junction arrays can radiate coherently in a laser-like fashion, as predicted by theoretical work in the 1970s. We present results from measurements of high-efficiency Josephson-junction arrays coupled to resonant cavities. In one of our samples with four columns and 36 rows, the dc to ac (180 GHz) conversion efficiency reaches an asymptotic value of about 32%. Using a simple circuit model we show that we have achieved optimal dc to ac conversion in this sample.
We report measurements of mm-wavelength radiation from two-dimensional arrays of underdamped Josephson junctions. All of our samples emit coherently in a novel synchronized state, which is triggered by a resonance in the array structure. Measurements of the detected power as a function of the number NNN of active junctions show a threshold, suggesting population inversion. Above threshold, the power scales with N2{N}^{2}N2 up to an array size bigger than the free-space radiation wavelength. The highest measured conversion efficiency from dc to ac power is about 17%. Our data are consistent with stimulated emission causing coherence and cannot be explained by existing classical coupling mechanisms.
Superconducting electronic devices have reemerged as contenders for both classical and quantum computing due to their fast operation speeds, low dissipation, and long coherence times. An ultimate demonstration of coherence is lasing. We use one of the fundamental aspects of superconductivity, the ac Josephson effect, to demonstrate a laser made from a Josephson junction strongly coupled to a multimode superconducting cavity. A dc voltage bias applied across the junction provides a source of microwave photons, and the circuit's nonlinearity allows for efficient down-conversion of higher-order Josephson frequencies to the cavity's fundamental mode. The simple fabrication and operation allows for easy integration with a range of quantum devices, allowing for efficient on-chip generation of coherent microwave photons at low temperatures.
Josephson junction arrays could be competitive candidates for radiation sources in the frequency range from 0.5 to 1.5 THz. This is the range where compact solid-state continuous wave sources are most lacking. We investigated the millimeter-wave radiation from arrays of high-temperature superconductor bicrystal Josephson junctions embedded in a quasi-optical resonator. The novel approach of utilizing the intrinsic resonance modes of the substrate to improve the impedance coupling between the series array of discrete Josephson junctions and the quasi-optical resonator was investigated by experiments and electromagnetic field simulations. Radiation from the arrays containing up to 536 junctions was detected at about 80 GHz and liquid nitrogen temperature using a low-noise receiver. The detected maximum radiation power of the arrays was about 50 pW and the peak voltage agreed exactly with the Josephson current–voltage relation.
When a parallel external magnetic field is applied to underdamped Josephson-junction arrays, constant-voltage steps appear in their current-voltage characteristics. These steps correspond to different numbers of rows being switched to a new resonant state. If the number of switched rows is larger then a threshold number, the array radiates coherent microwave radiation. When the array is biased on a step, the number of radiating rows stays fixed and we can change the input power, P/sub DC/, by changing the bias current. We measure the output power, P/sub AC/ as a function of P/sub DC/. This dependence is linear at high powers with a slope /spl alpha/, while at low powers P/sub AC/ vanishes nonlinearly with P/sub DC/. For a given array, the slope /spl alpha/ is larger for steps that correspond to a larger number of switched rows. We present a systematic study of the dependence of the slope or on the size of the array and discuss its implications for obtaining optimal DC-to-AC conversion efficiency.
We report the strong microwave Josephson radiation from an array of high-T/sub c/ junctions on a MgO bicrystal substrate from centimeter- to millimeter-wave ranges. The dc bias current was fed to the junction array having parallel geometry with the pair of junctions shunted by superconducting loops. The configuration of bias leads was a series of interlocking dc SQUID's geometry which guaranteed the oscillation of all junctions at the same frequency. The phase differences between adjacent junctions with different I/sub c/R/sub n/ products could be controlled by an external small magnetic field. For a five-junctions array, we observed the coherent output power of about 13 pW without external magnetic flux, which was nearly five times higher than that of a single bicrystal junction. We observed the Josephson linewidth of the self-radiation in the coherent state to be less than 1 GHz by adjustment of the external flux.