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IEEE International Superconductive Electronics Conference (ISEC)

Operation of single-flux-quantum logic cells based on all-NbN integrated circuit technology

Hirotaka Terai, Kazumasa Makise, Zhen Wang

Published Jul 1, 2013• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We developed NbN-based SFQ circuits consisting of high-quality epitaxial NbN/AlN/NbN trilayer grown on MgO (100) substrate. The SFQ logic cells such as JTL, DC/SFQ converter, voltage driver, pulse splitter, TFF, and CB were designed by setting the critical current density JCat 2.5 kA/cm2. We succeeded in demonstrating correct operations of all the designed SFQ cells, but the JCrange allowing the operation was quite narrow as around 70% for the designed value. The circuit simulation revealed that the TFF cell requires the JCrange from 65% to 115% for the correct operation, while the DC/SFQ converter was not operational for the JCof more than 70%.

DOI
10.1109/isec.2013.6604278

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Abstract We fabricated a prototype of a single flux quantum (SFQ) logic circuit for operation near 10 K by using NbN, which has a critical temperature around 16 K. This circuit is fabricated on a 2‐inch silicon (Si) substrate based on the NbN/AlN/NbN tunnel junction having fluctuations in the critical current of ±5% or less from 976 Josephson junctions (JJ). The fabrication of a prototype circuit to generate, propagate, and detect SFQ pulses and the examination of its operation confirmed normal operation up to approximately 9.8 K, which is close to 10 K. In addition, at the operating temperature of 8.5 K, the operations of elementary cells such as a confluence buffer and a T flip‐flop were verified and were successful in the operation of the largest scale circuit, an 8‐bit shift register consisting of 105 JJ. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 84(10): 34–39, 2001

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We developed NbN-based SFQ circuits consisting of high-quality epitaxial NbN/AlN/NbN trilayer grown on MgO (100) substrate. The SFQ logic cells such as JTL, DC/SFQ converter, voltage driver, pulse splitter, TFF, and CB were designed by setting the critical current density JCat 2.5 kA/cm2. We succeeded in demonstrating correct operations of all the designed SFQ cells, but the JCrange allowing the operation was quite narrow as around 70% for the designed value. The circuit simulation revealed that the TFF cell requires the JCrange from 65% to 115% for the correct operation, while the DC/SFQ converter was not operational for the JCof more than 70%.
We have developed an all-NbN integrated circuit technology for future integration of single flux quantum (SFQ) circuit with superconducting single-photon detector array. The all-NbN integrated circuits consist of epitaxial NbN/AlN/NbN tunnel junctions fabricated on single-crystal MgO substrates, Mo shunt resistors and 500-nm-thick NbN ground plane on the top. Critical current density and sheet resistance of the Mo resistor were set at 2.5 kA/cm2and 1.2 Ω, respectively. Current uniformity of the NbN/AlN/NbN tunnel junctions was measured to be σ = 3% for 3 μm × 3 μm junction size. The NbN-based SFQ logic cells were designed for and tested at 4.2 K. We actually measured circuit inductances of the fabricated SFQ cells. Circuit simulation revealed that the measured circuit inductances in the fabricated SFQ cells should allow operating margins of more than +/-20%.
We report on the fabrication and the operation of all-NbN rapid single flux quantum (RSFQ) circuits. The NbN integrated circuit consists of NbN/AlN/NbN tunnel junctions, Mo resistors, sputtered SiO/sub 2/ insulating layers, and 400-nm-thick NbN ground plane and wiring layer. The circuits were fabricated with the minimum junction size of 2 /spl mu/m/spl times/2 /spl mu/m and the alignment margin of +/-0.5 /spl mu/m. We designed RSFQ logic cells under critical current density of 2.5 kA/cm/sup 2/, sheet resistance of 2 /spl Omega/ and sheet inductance of 1.4 pH. We experimentally investigated dc bias margin of the fabricated RSFQ cells at 9 K. We observed relatively large dc bias margin of more than +/-25% for a pulse splitter, a confluence buffer and an RS flip-flop, while the dc bias margin of a T flip-flop was less than +/-5%. We succeeded to demonstrate the operation of 16-bit concurrent flow shift register at 9 K.
A single flux quantum (SFQ) logic cell library has been developed for the 10kA/cm2 Nb multi-layer fabrication process to efficiently design large-scale SFQ digital circuits. In the new cell library, the critical current density of Josephson junctions is increased from 2.5kA/cm2 to 10kA/cm2 compared to our conventional cell library, and the McCumber-Stwart parameter of each Josephson junction is increased to 2 in order to increase the circuit operation speed. More than 300 cells have been designed, including fundamental logic cells and wiring cells for passive interconnects. We have measured all cells and confirmed they stably operate with wide operating margins. On-chip high-speed test of the toggle flip-flop (TFF) cell has been performed by measuring the input and output voltages. The TFF cell at the input frequency of up to 400GHz was confirmed to operate correctly. Also, several fundamental digital circuits, a 4-bit concurrent-flow shift register and a bit-serial adder have been designed using the new cell library, and the correct operations of the circuits have been demonstrated at high clock frequencies of more than 100GHz.
We developed a process for fabricating nitride superconductor-based superconducting qubits monolithically integrated with a single flux quantum (SFQ)-based readout and control circuits. Since we used a Josephson junction (JJ) made of an NbN/AlN/NbN tri-layer, including a critical current density (Jc) of 50 A/cm2as the suitable material for superconducting qubits and SFQ readout/control circuits operating at 20 mK, the JJs for both the qubits and the SFQ circuits could simultaneously be fabricated. The device structure was also composed of three superconductive layers, comprising two superconductive layers as wiring layers and other layers as the top ground plane. Then, we used a Pd film as the resistive layer, which is required as the shunt resistors and the bias resistors for the SFQ control circuits, followed by an investigation of the properties of NbN/AlN/NbN epitaxial junctions and evaluation of the sheet inductance of the base NbN and wiring NbTiN layer. Our results showed the successful fabrication of a JJ with a sufficiently low leakage current and aJcof around 50 A/cm2, which was close to the target value. Furthermore, the evaluated sheet inductance exceeded 1 pH, which was several times larger than the values obtained for Nb-integrated circuits.
We have developed resistively shunted NbN junctions to realize superconducting single flux quantum circuits operating at 10 K and/or high speed. The junctions consist of epitaxial NbN/AlN/NbN tunnel junctions and molybdenum (Mo) resistors fabricated on single-crystal MgO substrates. The junction qualities are systematically investigated in a wide range of critical current density (Jc). The gap voltage and the ratio of Rsg/RN were about 5.6 mV and 11 for the junctions with the Jc of 10 kA/cm2, respectively. The overdamped Josephson junctions with parallel Mo resistors having a nominal sheet resistance showed non-hysteretic current-voltage characteristics for the junctions with Jc of 10 kA/cm2.
Abstract We fabricated a prototype of a single flux quantum (SFQ) logic circuit for operation near 10 K by using NbN, which has a critical temperature around 16 K. This circuit is fabricated on a 2‐inch silicon (Si) substrate based on the NbN/AlN/NbN tunnel junction having fluctuations in the critical current of ±5% or less from 976 Josephson junctions (JJ). The fabrication of a prototype circuit to generate, propagate, and detect SFQ pulses and the examination of its operation confirmed normal operation up to approximately 9.8 K, which is close to 10 K. In addition, at the operating temperature of 8.5 K, the operations of elementary cells such as a confluence buffer and a T flip‐flop were verified and were successful in the operation of the largest scale circuit, an 8‐bit shift register consisting of 105 JJ. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 84(10): 34–39, 2001