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Japanese Journal of Applied Physics

Suppression of the Josephson Current in Normal-Distribution-Shaped Tunnel Junctions

Katsuya Kikuchi, Hiroaki Myoren, Takeshi Iizuka, S. Takada

Published Oct 1, 2000• 9 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The magnetic field dependence of the Josephson current of a Josephson tunnel junction whose shape was a normal distribution is analyzed for superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) photon detector applications. It was found that the Josephson current of a normal distribution junction is very sensitive to the external magnetic field and follows a function of exp (-B 2), while a conventional rectangular STJ exhibits the well-known Fraunhofer pattern of sin x/x. Numerical calculations show that the Josephson current of the normal distribution junction can be suppressed by an external magnetic field that is one tenth of that needed for conventional rectangular junctions. Calculations of a normal distribution junction approximated with a 1 µm mesh also show that the Josephson current is sufficiently suppressed by a small magnetic field. The effect of the misalignment of the angle between the junction and the magnetic field was evaluated. It was found that for a normal-distribution-shaped junction, misalignment of the magnetic field is allowed within ± 5°, suppressing the Josephson effect by two orders of magnitude more than that of a rectangular junction.

DOI
10.1143/jjap.39.5828

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The magnetic field dependence of the Josephson current of a Josephson tunnel junction whose shape was a normal distribution is analyzed for superconducting tunnel junction (STJ) photon detector applications. It was found that the Josephson current of a normal distribution junction is very sensitive to the external magnetic field and follows a function of exp (-B 2), while a conventional rectangular STJ exhibits the well-known Fraunhofer pattern of sin x/x. Numerical calculations show that the Josephson current of the normal distribution junction can be suppressed by an external magnetic field that is one tenth of that needed for conventional rectangular junctions. Calculations of a normal distribution junction approximated with a 1 µm mesh also show that the Josephson current is sufficiently suppressed by a small magnetic field. The effect of the misalignment of the angle between the junction and the magnetic field was evaluated. It was found that for a normal-distribution-shaped junction, misalignment of the magnetic field is allowed within ± 5°, suppressing the Josephson effect by two orders of magnitude more than that of a rectangular junction.
Superconducting tunnel junctions (STJs) have been successfully used as single-photon detectors but require the use of a magnetic field to operate. A recent paper has proposed the idea to use a circuit of three junctions in place of a single junction in order to achieve the necessary biasing without applying a magnetic field. The nonlinear interaction between the different junctions in the circuit causes the existence of a stable subgap state for one of the junctions, which acts as the detector junction. In this paper, we present the first measurements demonstrating the existence of such a biasing state feasible for STJ detectors. Single junction measurements with an applied magnetic field help determine the functional form of the subgap current versus voltage; then the operating point of a three-junction circuit is measured and fit to theory. The excellent match between theory and experiment demonstrates the existence of the subgap biasing state. The outlook for possible use in detector applications is discussed.
Low βc tunnel junctions have current-voltage characteristics which deviate from the intrinsic quasiparticle characteristic because of the ac Josephson effect. This effect has previously been analyzed for the special case of a pointlike junction in zero applied field. We demonstrate that deviations still occur when the critical current is suppressed by an applied field to a small fraction of its zero field value. The effects are significant for junctions whose length l is comparable to the Josephson penetration length λJ. These are often the junctions of practical interest. We present a simple model to explain the physical origin of these deviations, and also present detailed computer simulations using up to nine segments to model the distributed junction. For l = λJ, and an applied magnetic field which corresponds to the first minimum of the junction threshold characteristic, we find time-averaged voltages which deviate from the quasiparticle characteristic by up to 5%. Their magnitude is proportional to (l/λJ)2 and inversely proportional to the square of the applied field. This dependence can be used experimentally to confirm the observation of the effect.
We have investigated the effect of a moderately strong magnetic field (generated by superconducting coil, up to 380Gauss, 6 quantum fluxes within a single junction; generated by one piece of permanent magnet; generated by two pieces of permanent magnets respectively) on Nb superconducting tunnel junctions at different temperatures. Both experimental and numerical results show that the superconducting tunnel junction DC Josephson current can be significantly reduced by a magnetic field. A relatively strong magnet field may suppress the gap voltage as well as the sharp nonlinearity at the gap. We also investigated the leakage current and DC Josephson current of the Nb SIS junction at different temperatures.
The microwave response of the dc quasiparticle tunneling current in Josephson tunnel junctions, where the Josephson current is suppressed by an external magnetic field, has been studied quantitatively in order to clarify its characteristics as a probe for the measurement of the junction capacitance. Extensive experiments for both small and long junctions are carried out for distinguishing between microwave behaviors of lumped and distributed constant junctions. It is shown that the observed voltage dependence of the dc quasiparticle tunneling current modified by an applied rf field is in good agreement with a theoretical result which takes into account the influence of the microwave circuit connected to the junction. The comparison between theory and experiment gives the magnitude of the internal rf field in the junction. Together with the applied rf field, this internal rf field leads to the junction rf impedance which is dominated by the junction capacitance in our experimental condition. In the case of lumped junctions, this experimental rf impedance is in reasonable agreement with the theoretical one with the junction capacitance estimated from the Fiske step of the distributed junction fabricated on the same substrate; the obtained ratio of the experimental impedance to the theoretical one is approximately 0.6–1.7. In the case of distributed junctions, however, experimental values of their characteristic impedances are approximately 0.2–0.3 of theoretical values calculated by assuming the one-dimensional junction model and taking account of the standing-wave effect in the junction.
Several models, both static and dynamic, for calculating the maximum dc Josephson current versus external magnetic field “characteristic” of tunnel junctions of various geometries are described. The static models have the advantage of short computation times; the dynamic models, although slower, yield additional information on circuit-switching times. The dependence of the characteristics on the junction shape is described. The accuracy of a one-dimensional approximation used in the models has been tested experimentally, and theoretically against a two-dimensional approximation. In both cases, the one-dimensional treatment yields quantitatively good agreement provided the inductance of the junction is included in the model. Junctions defined by an oxide “window” of sinusoidal shape (maximum and minimum width at the center and ends, respectively) have a characteristic in which the side lobes are almost completely suppressed. The characteristics of a wide variety of junction shapes, including interferometers having two or more junctions, have been accurately calculated, permitting the design of devices for specific purposes.
Driven atomic Josephson junctions allow one to monitor phase-coherent dynamics with unprecedented control and flexibility of the system's physical conditions. While cold-atom manifestations of the Josephson effect have been extensively studied in a wide variety of settings, atomic Josephson junctions in synthetic electromagnetic fields remain largely unexplored. Here, we show that synthetic magnetic fields can induce Fraunhofer-like modulations of the critical current in atomic Josephson junctions. Although this effect presents analogies to the Fraunhofer patterns found in superconducting devices, distinctive features emerge due to the neutral nature of the superfluid. We investigate the underlying spatial interference mechanisms and elucidate the role of Josephson vortices in the formation of spatially modulated current distributions based on numerical simulations. Our results open up new avenues for matter-wave circuits to deepen our understanding of spatial coherence in Josephson junctions, which are fundamental to the development of novel quantum technologies.