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IEEE Transactions on Magnetics

Experimental study of mutual phase locking in Josephson tunnel junctions

L. S. Kuzmin, K. K. Likharev, Eugene S. Soldatov

Published Mar 1, 1987• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Strong mutual phase locking of Josephson oscillations in unshunted tunnel junctions in-coporated into a special common millimeter-wave resonance structure has been observed and studied. The observed locking range was especially wide (up to ±10%) when the both junctions were dc biased at the current steps corresponding to the common resonance modes (frequencies from 25 to 200 GHz). Main features of the junction interaction have been found to be in a qualitative agreement with our earlier theory developed for lumped junctions. For larger junctions (S = 30×30 μm2), quantitative deviations from the theoretical predictions have been observed and identified as resulting from interaction of the (external) common resonance mode with the (internal) Fiske modes of the junctions.

DOI
10.1109/tmag.1987.1065106

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IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity•Jun 1, 1995•2 citations
Strong mutual phase locking of Josephson oscillations in unshunted tunnel junctions in-coporated into a special common millimeter-wave resonance structure has been observed and studied. The observed locking range was especially wide (up to ±10%) when the both junctions were dc biased at the current steps corresponding to the common resonance modes (frequencies from 25 to 200 GHz). Main features of the junction interaction have been found to be in a qualitative agreement with our earlier theory developed for lumped junctions. For larger junctions (S = 30×30 μm2), quantitative deviations from the theoretical predictions have been observed and identified as resulting from interaction of the (external) common resonance mode with the (internal) Fiske modes of the junctions.
We investigated parallel arrays of superconducting Nb/AlOx/Nb tunnel junctions nonevenly distributed in a superconducting Nb/SiO/Nb microstrip transmission line. Such devices are discretized Josephson transmission lines (DJTLs) in which, from theory, magnetic flux quanta (“fluxons”) can travel as solitonic waves when a dc current bias and a dc magnetic field are applied. We observed a reproducible series of resonant branches in each device’s I−V curve, at Josephson submillimeter-wave frequencies (from 240 to 720 GHz) matching the resonances predicted using a transmission line analysis, where the loading of the N=5 junctions is fully taken into account. The nonperiodic distribution was optimized to provide rf matching over a large bandwidth (450–650 GHz typically), implying that the plasma resonance of junctions is inductively tuned out over a similar band by the array. A confirmation of this comes from the observation, at frequencies higher than the untuned junctions plasma frequency, of several Josephson phenomena reported in this article: Fiske-like resonances, phase-locking of the n=3 resonance to an external 600 GHz microwave source, rf-induced zero crossing, and resonances at fractional harmonics of the rf signal. These experimental results are all compatible with a fluxon-based resonances interpretation, as in the extensively studied long Josephson junctions yet at higher frequencies. As reported elsewhere, we could detect ∼500 GHz microwave radiation emitted by our devices in the n=1 and n=3 modes. In light of these unique properties, we propose nonuniform DJTLs as a promising type of Josephson device for submillimeter-wave oscillators and fast fluxon-based electronics.
Vertical stacks of two Nb/Al-AlO/sub x//Nb long Josephson junctions with nearly identical parameters have been studied experimentally. The magnetic coupling between the junctions was provided by their common electrode of thickness d/spl sime//spl lambda//sub L/. The I-V characteristics displayed flux-flow resonances of the two junctions. Two different mutually phase-locked regimes were found: the lower velocity anti-phase mode, and the high velocity in-phase mode. These modes, while staying locked, could be tuned by the magnetic field in a broad voltage range which corresponds to the Josephson frequencies of 150-600 GHz for the lower mode and 280-400 GHz for the upper mode. Our observations suggest applications of the stacked long Josephson junctions as local oscillators for millimeter and sub-millimeter wave circuits.>
The high frequency properties of the one-dimensional transmission line consisting of a parallel array of resistively shunted Josephson tunnel junctions have been studied in the limit of relatively low damping where this nonlinear system exhibits new and interesting phenomena. Here we report on experimental and numerical investigations of a resonant step observed at a voltage corresponding to 600 GHz in the dc current-voltage characteristic of a parallel array of 20 identical small NbAl2O3Nb Josephson junctions interconnected by short sections of superconducting microstrip line. The junctions are mutually phase locked due to collective interaction with the line sections excited close to the half wavelength resonance. The phase locking range can be adjusted by means of an external dc magnetic field and the step size varies periodically with the magnetic field. The largest step corresponds to a superconducting phase difference of π between neighboring junctions.
Mutual phase locking has been demonstrated in series arrays of two and four Josephson junctions at millimeter-wave frequencies. Experimental observations are in good agreement with theory reported earlier. This technique increases the output power available from a Josephson junction source. Available output power is expected to be proportional to the square of the number of junctions until the array impedance approaches the load impedance. The output frequency is voltage tunable over as much as an octave. Theory indicates that the technique can be extended to even larger arrays.
A system of two vertically stacked Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb long Josephson junctions is studied experimentally. The magnetic coupling between the junctions is provided by their common electrode of the thickness d∼λL. The current-voltage characteristics of the stack displays resonant steps which are understood to be the phase-locked flux-flow resonances of the two junctions. These modes can be tuned by the magnetic field in a broad voltage range which corresponds to the Josephson frequencies between 150 and 600 GHz. Our observations suggest a possibility of application of the stacked long Josephson junctions as local oscillators for millimeter and submillimeter wave circuits.
The high frequency properties of the one-dimensional transmission line consisting of a parallel array of resistively shunted Josephson tunnel junctions have been studied in the limit of relatively low damping where this nonlinear system exhibits new and interesting phenomena. Here we report on experimental investigations of a resonant step observed at a voltage corresponding to 600 GHz in the dc current-voltage characteristic of a parallel array of 20 identical small NbAlO/sub x/Nb Josephson junctions interconnected by short sections of superconducting microstrip line. The junctions are mutually phase locked due to collective interaction with the line sections excited close to the half wavelength resonance. The phase locking range can be adjusted by means of an external dc magnetic field and the step size varies periodically with the magnetic field.>