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Journal of Applied Physics

rf-SQUID magnetometer biased by harmonic

Tsutomu Yamashita, Yutaka Onodera

Published Jul 1, 1979• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

This paper describes a refined rf-SQUID magnetometer in which not only the fabrication of the SQUID sensor becomes easier but also the magnetic flux could be stably measured with sufficient sensitivity at a wider range of temperatures compared with existing SQUID systems. Two frequency components are used in the proposed rf-SQUID magnetometer, one of which is to excite the SQUID sensor and the other is to detect its response. Furthermore, from both the phenomenological analysis and the experimental results it is shown that the present rf-SQUID magnetometer performs its function well even if the value of LIc of the SQUID sensor is much larger than the flux quantum φ0.

DOI
10.1063/1.326556

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Elektronika : konstrukcje, technologie, zastosowania•Jan 1, 2011•1 citation
This paper describes a refined rf-SQUID magnetometer in which not only the fabrication of the SQUID sensor becomes easier but also the magnetic flux could be stably measured with sufficient sensitivity at a wider range of temperatures compared with existing SQUID systems. Two frequency components are used in the proposed rf-SQUID magnetometer, one of which is to excite the SQUID sensor and the other is to detect its response. Furthermore, from both the phenomenological analysis and the experimental results it is shown that the present rf-SQUID magnetometer performs its function well even if the value of LIc of the SQUID sensor is much larger than the flux quantum φ0.
We numerically calculated and obtained an approximate expression for the thermal noise-limited sensitivity of the pulse-biased SQUID sensor used in the integrated magnetometer. We found that the sensitivity is inversely proportional to the bias frequency and inversely proportional to the critical current of the Josephson junction to the 4/3 power. The sensitivity is also proportional to the temperature to the 4/3 power, and is nearly independent of the bias pulse duration. The sensitivity expression is similar to that of the rf SQUID, however, the coefficient is more than one order of magnitude smaller. The best sensitivity has the same order of magnitude as that of the dc SQUID. The quantum limit is attained at a bias frequency of 0.9 GHz at 4.2 K with the typical junction parameters. This sensitivity is available for the SQUID magnetometer operated in the digital feedback loop.
A superconducting quantum interferometer device (SQUID) electronics with tank frequencies near 150 MHz was constructed to enhance the rf SQUID sensitivity. By these means we characterized our YBa2Cu3O7 thin-film rf SQUIDs with step-edge junctions immersed in liquid N2. We obtained transfer function values of over 40 μV/Φ0, at a 50 Ω input impedance, for both hysteretic and dispersive mode of rf SQUID operation. The rms white and 1/f flux noise levels were significantly lower than at the tank frequency of 20 MHz. The best magnetic field sensitivity at 77 K was 0.9 pT/Hz1/2, and the energy resolution 1.4×10−28 J/Hz, down to 0.3 Hz.
Ultrahigh frequency rf-SQUID magnetometer employing a cryogenic preamplifier and a commercially available thin film rf-SQUID sensor have been designed, manufactured, and tested. The system has been operated at 316 MHz, which is the maximum pump frequency accepted by the thin film sensor. The cryogenic preamplifier has been built around a microwave high-electron-mobility transistor which was made unconditionally stable at ultrahigh frequency band by means of an appropriate circuit design, namely, a cascode configuration. The total flux noise of the magnetometer has been found to be 8.4 × 10−6Φ0/√Hz at 4.2 K and 5.8× 10−6Φ0/√Hz at 1.4 K. The temperature dependence of the fractional step rise α of the current-voltage rf characteristic has been measured to be proportional to the 2/3 power of the SQUID sensor temperature. The noise performance of the system at 4.2 K has been limited by the intrinsic SQUID noise only, in good agreement with theoretical predictions.
Superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) are among the most sensitive detectors for out-of-plane magnetic field components. However, due to their periodic response with short modulation period M=1Φ0M = 1 Φ_0M=1Φ0​, determined by the magnetic flux quantum Φ0≈2.068×10−15 WbΦ_0 \approx 2.068\times 10^{-15}\,\mathrm{Wb}Φ0​≈2.068×10−15Wb, it is difficult to infer the value of the magnetic flux unambiguously, especially in case the magnetic flux enclosed in the SQUID loop changes by many flux quanta. Here, we demonstrate that by introducing a second degree of freedom in the form of a second SQUID, we substantially enhance the modulation period MMM of our device without sacrificing sensitivity. As a proof of concept, we implement our idea by embedding two asymmetric direct current SQUIDs into a common tank circuit. By measuring the reflection coefficient of the device, we extract the two lowest energy eigenfrequencies as a function of the external magnetic flux created by a superconducting field coil, from which we experimentally deduce a modulation period M≥15Φ0M \geq 15 Φ_0M≥15Φ0​, as well as the magnetic offset-field B0=22 nTB_0 = 22\,\mathrm{nT}B0​=22nT present in our experiment.
An atomic magnetometer is a sensor which is used to measure a magnetic field through its interaction with the atomic sample. Significant research into atomic magnetometry has led to the development of very sensitive atomic sensors capable of matching the sensitivity of the most sensitive magnetometers, superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). Because SQUIDS require cryogenics to operate, atomic magnetometers provide a sensitive, yet low-cost alternative. They have found use in many areas such as medicine, security, explosives detection and fundamental physics research. One of the primary factors influencing sensitivity is the detuning of the probe beam from the resonant transitions of the atomic ground state. A caesium room temperature radio-frequency (rf) magnetometer is constructed and used to investigate the influence of the probe beam detuning on the magnetometer signal of the F = 3 and F = 4 ground states. The results of probing near and far from resonance revealed an off-resonant regime and two absorptive regimes. In the off-resonant regime, the atomic spins are unperturbed by the probe beam; it is a quantum non-demolition (QND) interaction. The two absorptive regimes, found when the probe beam is in the vicinity of either the 62S1 2 F = 3 → 6 2P3 2 F 0 = 2,3,4 or the 62S1 2 F = 4 → 6 2P3 2 F 0 = 3,4,5 transitions, is characterised as a non-QND interaction in which the probe beam influences the measurement. The sensitivity of the rf magnetometer is determined to be ≈ 1.98 fT/ √ Hz. In addition, the exploration of the relationship between the signal to noise ratio (SNR) and probe beam detuning revealed that the SNR is constant with detuning but the larger the detuning, the higher the probe beam power needs to be to reach the optimum SNR.
Measurements of extremely weak magnetic fields in unshielded environments require sensors providing a high dynamic range and slew rate while maintaining a high resolution. At present, analog Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) are the most sensitive sensors for magnetic flux. Due to their room-temperature feedback electronics necessary to maintain a stable point of operation, slew rates of those sensors are limited. The dynamic range is usually restricted by the resolution of classical analog to digital converters. The digital SQUID follows a different approach: a change of the magnetic field penetrating the pickup loop is translated by the sensor into a stream of voltage pulses. Each pulse represents the change of the magnetic flux inside the pickup loop by one flux quantum Φ0. By fast counting of these flux quanta, it is possible to outperform the analog SQUID in terms of dynamic range and maximum slew rate. We present our latest results with respect to the internal mechanisms of the digital SQUID and present a method to compensate the main source for nonlinear behavior of the sensor. The analyzed circuit was fabricated by FLUXONICS Foundry (1) in a 1 kA/cm² niobium fabrication process.