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Physical Review B

Shapiro steps and stimulated radiation of electromagnetic waves due to Josephson oscillations in layered superconductors

Lev N. Bulaevskii, Alexei E. Koshelev, M. Tachiki

Published Dec 19, 2008• 8 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Single crystals of layered high-temperature superconductors intrinsically behave as stacks of Josephson junctions. We analyze response of current-biased stack of intrinsic junctions to irradiation by the external electromagnetic (em) wave. In addition to well-known Shapiro steps in the current-voltage characteristics, irradiation promotes stimulated radiation which adds with spontaneous Josephson radiation from the crystal. Such enhancement of radiation from current-biased crystal may be used for amplification of em waves. Irradiation also facilitates synchronization of Josephson oscillations in all intrinsic Josephson junctions of a single crystal as well as oscillations in intrinsic junctions of different crystals.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.78.224519

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Single crystals of layered high-temperature superconductors intrinsically behave as stacks of Josephson junctions. We analyze response of current-biased stack of intrinsic junctions to irradiation by the external electromagnetic (em) wave. In addition to well-known Shapiro steps in the current-voltage characteristics, irradiation promotes stimulated radiation which adds with spontaneous Josephson radiation from the crystal. Such enhancement of radiation from current-biased crystal may be used for amplification of em waves. Irradiation also facilitates synchronization of Josephson oscillations in all intrinsic Josephson junctions of a single crystal as well as oscillations in intrinsic junctions of different crystals.
We investigate the response of a stack of intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) to terahertz (THz) electromagnetic (EM) irradiation. A significant amplification of the EM wave can be achieved by the IJJs stack when the incident frequency equals to one of the cavity frequencies. The irradiation excites $\ensuremath{\pi}$-phase kinks in the junctions, which stimulate the cavity resonance when the bias voltage is tuned. A large amount of dc energy is then pumped into the Josephson plasma oscillation and the incident wave gets amplified. From the profound current step in IVIVIV characteristics induced at the cavity resonance, the system can also be used for detection of the THz wave.
The effect of electromagnetic wave irradiation on the phase dynamics of intrinsic Josephson junctions in high temperature superconductors is investigated. We predict three novel effects by variation of the radiation amplitude and frequency: changing of the longitudinal plasma wavelength at parametric resonance; double resonance of the Josephson oscillations with radiation and longitudinal plasma wave; charging of superconducting layers in the current interval corresponding to the Shapiro step. The "bump" structure in IVC recently observed experimentally is demonstrated. We also observe ragged Shapiro steps at double resonance.
With a thin gold layer, we fabricated mesa-like shunted intrinsic Josephson junction stacks on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x single crystals. Instead of the multibranch structure and large voltage jumps often observed in conventional intrinsic junctions, current–voltage characteristics typical of resistively shunted junctions were obtained. Individual Shapiro steps were clearly visible with irradiation at frequencies from a few to 20 GHz. The experiments demonstrated not only the ac Josephson effects directly but also the possibility of employing intrinsic Josephson junctions in high-frequency applications.
We investigate IV -characteristics of coupled Josephson junctions which model the intrinsic Josephson junctions in high temperature superconductors under external electromagnetic radiation. A staircase structure of Shapiro steps is found in the branching region. Its origin is related to the coupling between junctions and their switching from rotating to oscillating states. This conclusion is tested by detailed analysis of the IV -characteristics as for total stack and for each junction in the stack. IV -curves of junctions in the stack are compared with the average of time derivative of phase difference. Experimental observation of this staircase structure would give us a proof of coupling between junctions and a way for precise measurement of its value. Such investigations would be also useful for a diagnostic of Josephson junctions in the stack.
We found that the coupled system of Josephson junctions under external electromagnetic radiation demonstrates a cascade of parametric instabilities. These instabilities appear along the IV characteristics within bias current intervals corresponding to Shapiro step subharmonics and lead to charging in the superconducting layers. The amplitudes of the charge oscillations increase with increasing external radiation power. We demonstrate the existence of longitudinal plasma waves at the corresponding bias current values. An essential advantage of the parametric instabilities in the case of subharmonics is the lower amplitude of radiation that is needed for the creation of the longitudinal plasma wave. This fact gives a unique possibility to create and control longitudinal plasma waves in layered superconductors. We propose a novel experiment for studying parametric instabilities and the charging of superconducting layers based on the simultaneous variation of the bias current and radiation amplitude.
Microwave-induced steps were observed in I-V characteristics of intrinsic Josephson junctions fabricated on an overdoped BSCCO single crystal with a weak magnetic field parallel to the c-axis. Voltage intervals between the steps under the irradiation of 12.2, 13.2 and 13.9 GHz microwaves were independent of the microwave power and proportional to the frequency. From the measurement of voltage intervals, it was found that all the junctions in the fabricated junction stack simultaneously produced Shapiro steps, assuming that the steps are Shapiro steps.