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Superconductor Science and Technology

Experimental observation of subharmonic gap structures in long Josephson junctions

M.A. Nordahn, Martin Manscher, J. Mygind, Lyudmila V. Filippenko

Published Nov 1, 1999• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The subharmonic gap structure (SGS) in long-overlap Nb-AlOx-Nb Josephson tunnel junctions has been investigated. The experimental results show peaks in the differential conductance at both odd and even integer fractions of the gap voltage, VG. Furthermore, the conductance peaks at VG/2 has been observed to split into two peaks with different characteristics. At high magnetic fields, the I-V characteristics approach a single curve, while retaining the SGS conductance peaks. The gap structure and the SGS show the same temperature dependence. The SGS can be explained by a Josephson self-coupling effect or multiple Andreev reflections. The results are important for the development of the flux flow oscillator used a local oscillator in integrated all-superconducting 200-800 GHz receivers.

DOI
10.1088/0953-2048/12/11/380

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The subharmonic gap structure (SGS) in long-overlap Nb-AlOx-Nb Josephson tunnel junctions has been investigated. The experimental results show peaks in the differential conductance at both odd and even integer fractions of the gap voltage, VG. Furthermore, the conductance peaks at VG/2 has been observed to split into two peaks with different characteristics. At high magnetic fields, the I-V characteristics approach a single curve, while retaining the SGS conductance peaks. The gap structure and the SGS show the same temperature dependence. The SGS can be explained by a Josephson self-coupling effect or multiple Andreev reflections. The results are important for the development of the flux flow oscillator used a local oscillator in integrated all-superconducting 200-800 GHz receivers.
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.
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.>
We investigated subharmonic gap structures in the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of NbN tunnel junctions by observing frequency response using a quasioptical mixer configuration. We chose a 10.5-/spl mu/m-long by 0.6-/spl mu/m-wide junction for the mixer so that the junction behaved as a distributed element at submillimeter-wave frequencies in wideband observations. In the presence of electromagnetic waves, subharmonic photon-assisted tunneling steps with a voltage width of hf/2e could clearly be observed below and above the half-gap voltage in the I-V curves of junctions at measured frequencies from 600 to 950 GHz, where h is Planck's constant, f is frequency, and e is electron charge. This evidence is consistent with a consequence of multiple Andreev reflection at low transmissions or multiparticle tunneling.
Measurements are reported of the single-particle characteristics of Nb-Al oxide-Nb superconducting tunnel junctions. Subgap leakage, subharmonic gap structure, and excess current are observed to increase systematically with increasing Josephson critical current density above a few kA/cm2. These phenomena are attributed to multiple Andreev reflections in high transmittance regions of the barrier. Such effects may significantly impact the applications of high critical current density junctions in advanced circuits.
An experimental investigation is made of the subharmonic Shapiro steps observed on the I-V curves of high-T c superconductor Josephson junctions and on the bias-voltage dependences of the rf noise and detector response when the junctions are subjected to external submillimeter radiation. Structures of this type are ordinarily described by a nonsinusoidal current-phase relation, which is why subharmonic steps appear. Numerical modeling of the processes occurring in a Josephson junction by means of a simple current-phase relation, as in the case of an SNS junction, gives good agreement with experiment. The width of the characteristic Josephson generation line of the junction was estimated on the basis of the noise dependences and the selective detector response. The width can be explained by taking into account the shot noise of the tunneling component of the conductivity. A model of the conductivity of a high-T c superconductor Josephson junction, consisting of a tunnel junction with microshorts possessing metallic conductivity, is discussed.
Short metallic weak links of Nb are used for millimeter-wave mixer experiments at 100-110 GHz. When the weak links are connected to a voltage bias circuit with zero output impedance, subharmonic gap structures are observed as a large dynamic resistance region or a negative differential resistance region at voltages V/sub u/=2/spl Delta//ne on the I-V curve, where n=1, 2, 3, ... . These strong structures are caused by a resonance effect between the energy gap and the multiple Andreev reflections that are present whenever there is a spatial inhomogeneity of the pair potential. Enhancement of IF signal peaks is observed at the subgap voltages. These experimental results suggest the appearance of the density of states predicted theoretically by R. Kummel et al. The subharmonic gap structure and details of the SNS mixer experiment will be described.>