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IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity

Characterization of a simple thin-film superconducting switch

A Leuthold, Ronald T. Wakai, G.K.G. Hohemwarter, J.E. Nordman

Published Jan 1, 1994• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A simple thermally-controlled superconducting switch was developed for switching low-level low-frequency signals. The device was fabricated and tested using different materials for superconductor, control line, and insulating layer. Refractory materials yielded the best combination of performance and ruggedness. Switching speeds of 1 MHz and control currents of 0.3 mA were achieved.>

DOI
10.1109/77.317837

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A simple thermally-controlled superconducting switch was developed for switching low-level low-frequency signals. The device was fabricated and tested using different materials for superconductor, control line, and insulating layer. Refractory materials yielded the best combination of performance and ruggedness. Switching speeds of 1 MHz and control currents of 0.3 mA were achieved.>
Low-temperature superconducting circuits have become important for many scientific applications. However, there are presently no high current-capacity switches (~1 mA) with low power dissipation for sub-Kelvin operation. One candidate for a sub-Kelvin switch is the cryotron, a device in which the superconductivity of a wire is suppressed with a magnetic field. Here, we demonstrate a cryotron switch suitable for sub-Kelvin temperatures. In the closed state, the maximum device current is about 900 μA. The device is switched to its open state with 2 mA of control current and has a leakage of approximately 500 nA. The transition between the closed and open states of the device is faster than 200 ns, where the measurement is limited by the speed of our measurement apparatus. We also discuss low-temperature applications for our cryotron such as a single-pole, double-throw switch.
A superconducting thin-film nanoswitch for the subterahertz frequency range has been proposed, developed, fabricated, and tested. The switch makes it possible to modulate the microwave signal or switch it between two branches of a circuit with low losses and high speed. The switch can be naturally integrated with superconducting high-sensitive detectors. Its application makes it possible to avoid the use of massive slow mechanical modulators and to improve the measurement accuracy in decisive astrophysical experiments such as the investigation of the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background.
A switch is a device that controls signal on/off, serving as a critical component for ensuring efficient and stable operation of electronic systems. In recent years, room-temperature semiconductor switches, MHz-band power switches, and optical-band temperature-controlled switches have been widely applied. However, these devices often fail in cryogenic environments due to carrier de-formation effects, limiting their use in low-temperature applications. To address this issue, we propose a low-temperature RF switch based on a distributed half-wavelength superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator. This device leverages the thermal sensitivity of the dynamic inductance in superconducting thin films to achieve signal switching through temperature modulation. Using time-domain coupled-mode theory, we designed a superconducting Fano device and analyzed how its physical parameters regulate signal transmission. We measured the temperature-dependent characteristics of the Fano resonance peak in the825−1150mK825-1150 \text{mK}825−1150mKtemperature range and characterized its on/off functionality for specific RF signals. The results demonstrate that the device can achieve on/off control for an RF signal atfc=5.86832GHz\boldsymbol{f}_{\boldsymbol{c}}=5.86832 \text{GHz}fc​=5.86832GHz, with a maximum extinction ratio of28.2 dB\mathbf{2 8. 2 ~ d B}28.2 dB.
An all thin-film resistive SQUID with two Josephson tunnel junctions has been designed, fabricated and studied. As well as the two junctions, this device consists of a low ohmic (1.9*10 -6 Omega ) resistive part connected by superconducting leads to both junctions in a loop with very low ( approximately 10 -11 H) inductance. A direct current flowing through the resistive part fixes the voltage difference between the two Josephson junctions that are additionally fed by a bias current. The voltage difference is converted into a signal frequency that can be picked up from the SQUID with a conversion factor of ( phi o ) -1 =483.6 MHz mu V -1 , defined only by the electron charge and Planck's constant. An output signal level (peak-to-peak) of about 50 mu V has been obtained. The low frequency range (below 100 kHz) of the output signal frequency has been investigated. The possibilities of considerably extending this frequency range are also discussed.
Since the discovery of the high-transition-temperature (T c ) superconductive oxide materials, there has been very substantial progress in the understanding and control of these materials in thin film form. Although the initial projections of rapid and pervasive applicability of the high T c materials in the market place have not been met, the sensibly reproducible synthesis of high-quality thin films on substrate wafers of up to 50.8 mm diameter has generated a wide variety of preprototype microwave components, some of which are already edging into the market place. The current state of the microwave properties of low T c and high T c thin film materials will be reviewed and selected examples of preprototype devices drawn from low T c and high T c technology will be described. These components include transmission lines, filters, mixers and amplifiers for microwave signals, and information processing circuits for wideband analogue and high-speed digital waveforms. Speculation is offered on the long-term applications of superconducting electronics. Despite the substantial progress in materials, much more is required. The technology which must be developed in order to deliver practical superconducting circuits will be highlighted.