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IEEE Transactions on Magnetics

Experimental investigation on parametric excitation of plasma oscillations in Josephson tunnel junctions

C. Bak, B. Kofoed, N. F. Pedersen, K. Særmark

Published Mar 1, 1975• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Experimental evidence for subharmonic, parametric excitation of plasma oscillations in Josephson tunnel junctions is presented. The experiments described are performed by measuring the microwave power necessary to switch a Josephson tunnel junction biased in the zero voltage state to a finite voltage state.
DOI
10.1109/tmag.1975.1058605

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Physica Scripta•Jun 1, 1982•11 citations
A new parametric mode in a Josephson tunnel junction biased in the zero-voltage mode is suggested. It is a nondegenerate parametric excitation where the junction plasma resonance represents the input circuit, and a junction geometrical resonance represents the idler circuit. This nondegenerate mode has been observed in analog experiments. In a real junction the realization of this mode of operation depends on the coupling between the plasma resonance and the geometrical resonance, and it is argued that without an external dc magnetic field the even geometrical resonances are most favorable for such a coupling.
One-third harmonic signals have been generated in the zero voltage state of a Josephson tunnel junction driven with a microwave current in the frequency range 8–20 GHz. The signal was as much as 50 dB above the noise level of the detector with a linewidth of less than 100 Hz. The junction parameters and microwave current were measured in situ in separate experiments. The subharmonic generation occurred for ranges of microwave current and frequency that were in reasonable agreement with the results of digital computer simulations.
The capacitance of a Josephson tunnel junction is an important parameter, which determines its plasma frequency ωp and thus the energy level spacing in the quantum regime. When a microwave signal at the frequency of ω is applied to a current-biased junction in its zero-voltage state, the escape rate from this state is somehow enhanced. The enhancement is expected to go through a pronounced maximum when ωp=ω. Making use of such microwave generated resonant activation in the thermal regime, we have developed a time-resolved measurement scheme for determining the junction capacitance with an uncertainty of less than 2%.
Relaxation oscillations at subharmonics of the Josephson frequency may occur in a resistively shunted superconducting tunnel junction, where the shunt loop has a large inductance. We have studied the variation in the relaxation period with the shunt inductance and resistance, the Josephson critical current, and the bias current. Steps in the current-voltage curve were noted at bias points where the subharmonic number changed. Radiation powers of the order of a nW were coupled out of small, single, tunnel junctions at 10 GHz. Linewidths scaled with the frequency square as compared with those of the Josephson mode oscillations. Wide signals centered around harmonics of the relaxation frequency were due to amplified noise. Injection locking to a fraction of the frequency of a relatively strong signal occurred, while weaker signals were amplified. Gains up to 15 dB were achieved within a fairly large bandwidth, but the noise temperature was high. The importance of parametrically up-converted noise from low idler frequencies is emphasized.