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IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity

Optimization of input impedance and mechanism of noise suppression in a DC SQUID RF amplifier

Michael A. Tarasov, Z. G. Ivanov

Published Jun 1, 1996• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The optimal input impedance and noise of a DC SQUID RF amplifier at frequencies of the order of 1 GHz with a resonant input matching circuit have been studied analytically, numerically, and experimentally. A model for noise temperature and power gain has been developed for the practical resonant input tank circuit. A new effect of the output noise increasing or decreasing with changing the sign of voltage-to-flux transfer coefficient has been observed experimentally and explained analytically. The different values of noise temperature for the opposite dV/d/spl Phi/ values have been interpreted using a model with partially correlated current and voltage noise sources. The equivalent layout for optimal input matching of a SQUID amplifier comprising series and parallel resonant circuits has been presented. Using such a matching circuit and SIS junction as a signal source the SQUID amplifier noise temperature about 1 K has been measured at 1.1 GHz.

DOI
10.1109/77.506687

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The noise and signal parameters of several types of RF amplifiers based on different SQUIDs with integrated and hybrid input coils were studied. A new type of multiloop DC SQUID with an integrated input coil and extremely low stray capacitances was designed. The inductance of a four-loop SQUID was 100 pH, the input coil inductance 1.3 nH, and mutual inductance 300 pH. The tuned integrated four-loop amplifier at 420 MHz had a noise temperature lower 0.5 K and a power gain of nearly 20 dB in a 60-MHz bandwidth. For the noise calibration of such amplifiers, SIS junctions were used as a shot noise source, or a cooled attenuator and a room temperature semiconductor noise source were used.>

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity•Jun 1, 1992•15 citations
The optimal input impedance and noise of a DC SQUID RF amplifier at frequencies of the order of 1 GHz with a resonant input matching circuit have been studied analytically, numerically, and experimentally. A model for noise temperature and power gain has been developed for the practical resonant input tank circuit. A new effect of the output noise increasing or decreasing with changing the sign of voltage-to-flux transfer coefficient has been observed experimentally and explained analytically. The different values of noise temperature for the opposite dV/d/spl Phi/ values have been interpreted using a model with partially correlated current and voltage noise sources. The equivalent layout for optimal input matching of a SQUID amplifier comprising series and parallel resonant circuits has been presented. Using such a matching circuit and SIS junction as a signal source the SQUID amplifier noise temperature about 1 K has been measured at 1.1 GHz.
A series of dc SQUID radiofrequency amplifiers in the frequency range 0.1-1.1 GHz with noise temperature 0.4-2 K has been designed, fabricated and experimentally studied. For resonant input tank circuit an analytical model of noise temperature has been developed. A new effect of the output noise increasing or decreasing with changing the sign of voltage-to-flux transfer coeff 1 cient has been observed experimentally and described analytically and numerically. Application of SQUID amplifiers as IF amplifiers in SIS, Josephson, hot-electron heterodyne detectors as well as in cellular base stations has been discussed.
The power gain and the noise temperature of a DC SQUID RF amplifier at a signal frequency 400 MHz were measured in the presence of external microwave radiation at 2 cm, 8 mm and 4 mm wavelengths. The authors used a four-loop planar DC SQUID with an integrated input coil and very low values of inductances and stray capacitances. In the noise measurements they used an SIS junction as a precise source of input noise at high DC bias voltage V b >V 2 Delta . In such a configuration the studied system is the same as an SIS mm-wave mixer with a SQUID IF amplifier.
Integrated radio-frequency amplifiers comprising a 4-loop dc SQUID, seriesly connected input coil turns, a resonant capacitor parallel to the input coil, series capacitors at the input and output ports and bias resistors have been designed, fabricated and experimentally studied. A multiloop dc SQUID with parallel loops and seriesly connected single-turn input coils placed inside each loop and integration with the input resonant matching circuit elements and with elements of dc bias circuit allows one to increase signal frequency and reduce the influence of external noise. The amplifiers with three different capacitors have resonant frequencies 560, 656, 758 MHz and bandwidth about 50 MHz. The noise temperature of such amplifiers below 1.5 K has been measured using cold attenuator and room-temperature noise sources. The layout comprising three pairs of such amplifiers placed on the same 15/spl times/24 mm substrate was designed to increase the bandwidth over the bandwidth of the individual amplifiers.>
A low-noise RF amplifier based on a dc SQUID (SQA) has been tested in the frequency range 3.0-4.6 GHz in the open-loop configuration. The following parameters have been measured for the single-stage balanced type SQA at 4.0 GHz: gain (12/spl plusmn/1) dB, 3 dB bandwidth of 500 MHz and noise temperature (1.0/spl plusmn/0.25) K. For the nonbalanced type SQA at 4.0 GHz gain was (15/spl plusmn/1) dB, 3 dB bandwidth 200 MHz and noise temperature (0.5/spl plusmn/0.25) K. The improved performance is obtained due to the increased characteristic voltage (/spl ap/420 /spl mu/V) of the small-area (down to 0.7-0.9 /spl mu/m/sup 2/) high-quality Nb-AlO/sub x/-Nb SIS junctions. The saturation power (normalized to 1 GHz) referred to the input at 1 dB gain compression is estimated as /spl ap/55 K*GHz at a bias voltage of 60 /spl mu/V. The reasons for saturation of the SQA are discussed.
A low-noise rf amplifier based on a dc SQUID (SQA) is tested in the frequency range 3.3-4.1 GHz. A new signal launching system for the SQA rf coupling has been developed and successfully implemented. The following parameters have been measured at 3.65 GHz using a band-pass filter at the input of a single-stage SQA: gain (11.0/spl plusmn/1.0) dB, 3 dB bandwidth of 300 MHz and noise temperature (4.0/spl plusmn/1.0)K. This figure corresponds to a flux noise S/sub /spl Phi///sup 1/2 /=0.6 /spl mu//spl Phi//sub 0//Hz/sup 1/2 / and an energy sensitivity /spl epsi//sub i//spl ap/75 h. The input saturation power, P/sub s/, (1 dB gain compression) is measured for different bandwidths of the input band-pass filter, A corresponding input signal saturation temperature (normalized for a 1 GHz bandwidth) T/sub SAT//sup 1GHZ/=P/sub SAT//k/sub B/ is estimated to be 11.5 K GHz at an SQA bias voltage 27 /spl mu/V (condition for minimum noise temperature). The dependencies of the SQA gain, noise temperature and saturation level on the operation point are studied. The reason for the SQA saturation is discussed.
The noise and signal parameters of several types of RF amplifiers based on different SQUIDs with integrated and hybrid input coils were studied. A new type of multiloop DC SQUID with an integrated input coil and extremely low stray capacitances was designed. The inductance of a four-loop SQUID was 100 pH, the input coil inductance 1.3 nH, and mutual inductance 300 pH. The tuned integrated four-loop amplifier at 420 MHz had a noise temperature lower 0.5 K and a power gain of nearly 20 dB in a 60-MHz bandwidth. For the noise calibration of such amplifiers, SIS junctions were used as a shot noise source, or a cooled attenuator and a room temperature semiconductor noise source were used.>