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Journal of Applied Physics

Far infrared frequency response of a Josephson junction in a self-pumped mixer

J.C. Hénaux, G. Vernet, Robert Adde

Published Dec 1, 1983• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A continuous measurement of the far-infrared frequency response of a point contact Josephson junction is performed between 0.7 and 2 THz. The response at increasing frequencies present three characteristic regions with variations proportional to f−2, f−4, f−6. They illustrate the losses introduced successively at increasing frequencies by the resistively shunted junction model, the junction RC time constant and the attenuation of the Josephson current above the gap frequency.

DOI
10.1063/1.331975

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Journal of Applied Physics•Jun 1, 1974•13 citations
A continuous measurement of the far-infrared frequency response of a point contact Josephson junction is performed between 0.7 and 2 THz. The response at increasing frequencies present three characteristic regions with variations proportional to f−2, f−4, f−6. They illustrate the losses introduced successively at increasing frequencies by the resistively shunted junction model, the junction RC time constant and the attenuation of the Josephson current above the gap frequency.
Point-contact-type Josephson junctions have been developed as a harmonic mixer to measure far-infrared (FIR) laser frequencies in a frequency chain up to the infrared region. The junctions were formed by mechanically pressing a niobium wire of 70 μm in diameter with a sharply etched tip against a niobium post of 2 mm in diameter. The voltage-current characteristics of the mixers were investigated under the irradiation of FIR lights from an optically pumped methyl-alcohol laser. The Shapiro steps for FIR lights up to 3.1 THz were observed. The mixing properties of the mixers were studied through harmonic mixing experiments of 50-GHz microwaves and the FIR lights up to the frequency of 3.1 THz. The conversion efficiency of the beat signals to the incident FIR power was found to vary as the — 4th power of the FIR frequency. From the mixing properties, the combination of the critical current Icof the junction and the product IcRnwhere Rnis the normal resistance of the junction, was found important to optimize the mixing performance.
For a current-driven Josephson junction shunted by an Ohmic resistance, the dc voltage response and impedance to external high-frequency currents is calculated with a second-order perturbation method based on the unperturbed solution for the time evolution of the voltage as given by Aslamazov and Larkin. The response is proportional to signal power and has three characteristic-frequency regions depending on whether the internal self-generated Josephson frequency, ω0, is larger than, equal to, or smaller than the signal frequency, ω. For ω0< or >ω the response could be expressed by easily observable parameters of the dc voltage-current characteristics. This permits comparison of the predictions with experimental results obtained on point-contact junctions whose dc characteristics were only approximately represented by the simple model chosen for analysis. For ω0≪ω the response is found to be proportional to (i) the slope of the dc characteristic, (ii) the inverse square of the applied frequency, (iii) the inverse battery current in terms of the critical current, and (iv) the voltage amplitude of the inherent Josephson oscillations. For ω0≫ω ``classical'' detection proportional to curvature is obtained. For ω0∼ω resonance detection occurs, which depends to a considerable degree on fluctuations of the average contact voltage. These predictions are in reasonable agreement with experiments in which point-contact junctions were illuminated with klystron radiation at 10 and 90 GHz. Evidence is presented that the voltage fluctuations limiting the resonance response are the result of noise generated in the junction. Comparison of the noise-equivalent power expected from the simple model with measured results suggests that parasitic elements, such as shunt capacity, are not negligible at 90 GHz.
We present experiments on the far infrared response of intrinsic Josephson junctions in Bi/sub 2/Sr/sub 2/CaCu/sub 2/O/sub 8+x/ (BSCCO). We detected first order Shapiro steps on resistive branches in a frequency range between 584 GHz and 2.5 THz. Due to the very low power coupled into the junctions the suppression of the critical current was only weak. With increasing number of junctions in the resistive state a higher amplitude of the Shapiro steps was measured. As the frequencies are well above the plasma frequency of our junctions, the steps are expected to be stable at any power level. To verify this, step heights were studied at various power levels as a function of frequency. The impedance matching of the system improved considerably when several junctions have switched into the resistive state.
The high-frequency behavior of niobium cat-whisker point contacts is studied using radiation from an optically pumped far-infrared (FIR) laser. The FIR molecular laser had a dielectric-waveguide cavity and was pumped by a CO2 laser. The use of capacitive-mesh output couplers is extended throughout the FIR spectrum, between 42 micrometers and 1.2 mm, and have found the optimum grid constants for several lines. At shorter wavelengths, the laser performance was improved by the use of a novel hybrid capacitive-mesh hole output coupler. The coupling of the FIR radiation to the point contact is found to depend in a simple manner on the resistance of the contact. The FIR laser radiation induces constant-voltage steps on the dc I-V curves of our junctions, allowing us to study the high-frequency ac Josephson effect.
The Josephson frequency conversion in the millimeter and submillimeter wave region is studied with superconducting Nb–Nb point-contact junctions at 4.2 °K, using the contact both as the local oscillator and the mixer with intermediate frequencies of 0.1, 0.3, and 9.2 GHz. The point contact is in a nonresonant structure and fed by a constant current source: neither a strong rf coupling of the contact with a cavity nor a stabilizing shunt resistance was proved necessary. The direct observation of frequency conversion was performed with a microwave receiver at 9.2 GHz in a range of Josephson frequencies between 145 and 1600 GHz. The experiments with intermediate frequencies fi of 0.1 and 0.3 GHz indicate that conventional frequency conversion does not occur but that the observed signals are related to noise effects. An analysis of the frequency conversion mechanism in a Josephson junction operated as an oscillator-mixer is proposed which includes the noise effects and also the feedback effects induced in a junction driven by a constant current source. The results show that low-frequency current components are induced in the junction, which can give large spurious signals when small i.f. are used.