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Applied Physics Letters

High-speed single-flux-quantum circuit using planarized niobium-trilayer Josephson junction technology

P. Bunyk, A. Oliva, Vasili K. Semenov, Manjul Bhushan, K. K. Likharev, James E. Lukens, M. B. Ketchen, W. H. Mallison

Published Jan 30, 1995• 65 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A simple test circuit of the rapid single-flux-quantum (RSFQ) logic family has been implemented in a planarized all-refractory technology using only two superconducting layers and small Nb/AlOx/Nb Josephson junctions (nominally 1.5×1.5 μm2) with critical current density jc≊6 kA/cm2. A special layout design of the integrated circuit (including a SFQ pulse generator, Josephson transmission line, and T flip–flop) was used to reduce 3D inductances resulting from absence of the ground plane. For samples with various junction parameters, the maximum frequency of the SFQ pulse train, which could be divided by 2 by the flip–flop, ranged from 200 to 370 GHz.

DOI
10.1063/1.114147

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IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity•Jun 1, 1999•4 citations
A simple test circuit of the rapid single-flux-quantum (RSFQ) logic family has been implemented in a planarized all-refractory technology using only two superconducting layers and small Nb/AlOx/Nb Josephson junctions (nominally 1.5×1.5 μm2) with critical current density jc≊6 kA/cm2. A special layout design of the integrated circuit (including a SFQ pulse generator, Josephson transmission line, and T flip–flop) was used to reduce 3D inductances resulting from absence of the ground plane. For samples with various junction parameters, the maximum frequency of the SFQ pulse train, which could be divided by 2 by the flip–flop, ranged from 200 to 370 GHz.
A new generation of the Josephson digital circuits-rapid single flux quantum (RSFQ) devices-based on overdamped externally shunted high quality Nb-AlO x -Nb tunnel junctions have been designed, fabricated and experimentally investigated. All-refractory material 11-layer 5 mu m integrated technology has been successfully employed for the preparation of the RSFQ microcircuits. The T flip-flop has been demonstrated to operate properly up to clock frequencies of 100 GHz at 25% margins. The proper operation of the buffer stage for a one-directional SFQ pulse transmission at clock frequencies up to 125 GHz has been achieved. The possibilities to convert the information from the usual DC form to SFQ and vice versa have been demonstrated. An output signal in an SFQ/DC converter as high as 220 mu V has been measured. A new counter type A/D converter which includes a comparator and reversible binary counter with DC outputs has been fabricated and tested. The proposed ADC seems to be very promising for high-accuracy measurement of medium-bandwidth signals. The possibilities of creating a number of SFQ devices with outstanding parameters are discussed.
We have implemented a simple circuit of the rapid single-flux-quantum (RSFQ) logic family using a single-layer YBa2Cu3O7−x thin-film structure with 14 in-plane Josephson junctions formed by direct electron beam writing. The circuit includes two dc/SFQ converters, two Josephson transmission lines, a complete RS SFQ flip-flop, and an SFQ/dc converter (readout SQUID). Low-frequency testing has shown that the dc-current-biased circuit operates correctly and reliably at T∼30 K, a few degrees below the effective critical temperature of the junctions. Prospects for a further increase of the operation temperature and implementation of more complex RSFQ circuits are discussed in brief.
Rapid Single Flux Quantum (RSFQ) T-flip flops (TFFs) operating up to 770 GHz have been demonstrated at 4.2 K. The devices, consisting of either resistively shunted or unshunted Josephson junctions, are fabricated using a planarized Nb/AlO/sub x//Nb trilayer process. Electron beam lithography is used to pattern all levels with a minimum junction area less than 0.1 /spl mu/m/sup 2/. Critical current densities of 0.5 mA//spl mu/m/sup 2/ and 2.5 mA//spl mu/m/sup 2/ are used for the shunted (tested at 1.8 K) and unshunted devices (tested at 4.2 K) respectively. The input and output frequencies of the TFFs are obtained from the input and output voltages by the Josephson relation. The output voltage is exactly half of the input voltage when the divide-by-two operation is correct.
An integrated circuit including all basic components of the recently suggested Resistive Single Flux Quantum (RSFQ) logic family has been designed, fabricated and tested successfully. The circuit includes a generator of periodic SFQ pulses, four buffer/amplifier stages for splitting, channeling and regeneration of the pulses, a detector/load stage, and universal RSFQ logic gate (here performing the NOT function). The 10μm design rule circuit employs 13 active Nb - Al2O3- Nb Josephson junctions with the critical current density ∼ 0.5 kA/cm2. externally shunted by Mo resistors with R 1 Ohm. The shunting provided critical damping of the junctions (\beta_{c}\lsim 1) and reasonable (\sim 500 \muV) IcR product. The circuit operation has been tested by measurement of dc voltages\bar{V}_{i}across various Josephson junctions as functions of the dc current through the pulse generator. Correct and stable operation of the circuit for the clock frequencies from 0 to ∼30 GHz has been demonstrated.
Several novel circuits of the rapid single-flux-quantum (RSFQ) family of Josephson-junction digital devices have been designed, fabricated using a 2.5- mu m 1000-A/cm/sup 2/ Nb trilayer technology, and tested at low frequencies. Numerical simulation and measurements have shown that these circuits have considerably wider parameter margins, due to application of several novel design methods. The authors have also carried out an experiment to measure the rate of errors in a simple RSFQ circuit including an inverter, confluence buffer, and Josephson transmission line. Near the middle of the parameter window at 4.2 K, the error probability was definitely lower than 3*10/sup -15/ per logic operation, despite experimentation with rudimentary shielding and filtering.>
Superconducting circuits based upon Rapid Single Flux Quantum (RSFQ) Logic are an interesting approach for future digital electronics with clock frequencies in the range of 100 GHz. Our intention is to increase the integration density of such circuits. Therefore we have successfully fabricated and tested an RSFQ-circuit based on a new kind of stacked three terminal device, henceforth called a "stacktron". A stacktron consists of two vertically arranged all-niobium tunnel junctions, each separately shunted by a thin film resistor, and an access to the intermediate niobium layer. An RSFQ frequency divider (T-flip-flop) including two stacktrons has been tested up to 20 GHz. As a shunt resistor we used Pd/Au, so that /spl beta//sub c/<1 and the IV-curve is nonhysteretic. The junctions showed a current density of approximately 250 A/cm/sup 2/. The I/sub c/R/sub n/-product was 100 /spl mu/V. These first steps toward a three dimensional (3D) RSFQ architecture will be discussed in the framework of highly integrated and complex RSFQ-circuits.