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Journal of Applied Physics

Microwave induced nonlinearity in low frequency biased YBCO superconducting weak link rings (abstract)

Yue Feng Huang, A. Widom, C. Vittoria

Published May 15, 1993• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

We fabricated weak link rings using YBCO thin films deposited on the single crystal MgO substrate by laser ablation. The dimensions of the microbridges in the rings were between 0.5–1 μ in length and 500 Å–0.5 μ in width which were made by focused ion beam milling. We biased the ring by Faraday induction voltage while monitoring the voltage across the microbridge. The frequency of the input signal was varied between 10 kHz and 5 MHz. When we superimposed a microwave signal (2–18 GHz) to the ring, below the superconducting transition temperature (Tc), we observed strong nonlinearities in the voltage measured across the microbridge. The microwave frequency was chosen to be close to the ring natural electromagnetic resonance.

DOI
10.1063/1.352544

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We fabricated weak link rings using YBCO thin films deposited on the single crystal MgO substrate by laser ablation. The dimensions of the microbridges in the rings were between 0.5–1 μ in length and 500 Å–0.5 μ in width which were made by focused ion beam milling. We biased the ring by Faraday induction voltage while monitoring the voltage across the microbridge. The frequency of the input signal was varied between 10 kHz and 5 MHz. When we superimposed a microwave signal (2–18 GHz) to the ring, below the superconducting transition temperature (Tc), we observed strong nonlinearities in the voltage measured across the microbridge. The microwave frequency was chosen to be close to the ring natural electromagnetic resonance.
A microwave mixer was patterned on a microstrip transmission line of superconducting YBCO (YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/). The YBCO film was epitaxially laser deposited on a SrTiO/sub 3/ bicrystal substrate. A weak link was constructed by patterning a microbridge in the microstrip at the bicrystal boundary. Microwave signals at 9.000 GHz and 9.941 GHz were applied at the input of the microstrip line. An output intermediate frequency signal was observed at 941 MHz and was detected as the transmitted signal. The microbridge junction, which behaved as a resistively shunted Josephson junction (RSJ), was current biased slightly above the critical current I/sub c/. The mixer conversion loss was measured at the input and output ports of the device package. The mixing efficiency was determined at the device junction. This efficiency was compared with the calculated efficiency determined by numerical solution of the Josephson equation for the weak link junction.>
Microwave mixing and parametric conversion in YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ microbridges were investigated. The devices have been operated as down-converters, converting a 20-GHz radio frequency to a 1.5-GHz intermediate frequency under the action of an 18.5-GHz local oscillator. The microbridges were fabricated both as granular films on MgO substrates possessing grain boundary weak links and as epitaxial films deposited over substrate steps in LaAlO/sub 3/ substrates. The authors have measured conversion gains as high as -8+or-4 dB when mixing on the nonlinear resistive (superconducting-normal) transition and as high as -30 to -40 dB when parametrically converting via the nonlinear inductance of the bridge at bias currents less than the critical current. Output referred noise powers as low as -206 dB/Hz (3*10/sup -21/ W/Hz) have been measured. In some samples, noise switching events were observed.>
Measurements at 3 GHz of the microwave properties of a superconducting thin-film microbridge coupled to a narrowly tuned strip-line resonator (coupled Q approximately 10 3 ) indicate that such a device displays the same variations in small-signal impedance as predicted by the resistively shunted junction model of a Josephson weak-link. Whenever this impedance becomes negative the microbridge is found to generate microwave radiation whose frequency is determined not by the junction bias voltage but by the natural resonance of the strip-line.
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A microstrip transmission line was patterned from a superconducting YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-x/ film which was laser deposited on a SrTiO/sub 3/ bicrystal substrate. A microbridge in the microstrip was then patterned at the bicrystal interface to fabricate a superconducting grain boundary junction. Microwave mixing was observed with an input local oscillator frequency of 9.000 GHz, and an input signal frequency of 9.941 GHz. The output signal at 941 MHz was detected as a transmitted signal. The junction was current biased slightly above the critical current I/sub c/. The measured conversion loss was compared to the calculated value based upon a numerical solution of the equation for a superconducting weak link junction.>