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Applied Physics Letters

A low-noise series-array Josephson junction parametric amplifier

Bernard Yurke, Michael Lee Roukes, Roman Movshovich, Andrew N. Pargellis

Published Nov 11, 1996• 66 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We have obtained parametric gain at 19 GHz from a distributed Josephson junction parametric amplifier whose active gain medium consists of a series array of 1000 Josephson junctions embedded in a coplanar waveguide. When cooled to 1.7 K the amplifier provides 16 dB gain in a mode where the internally generated double sideband noise referred to input is 0.5±0.1 K. This noise is consistent with Nyquist noise generated from the losses. An instantaneous bandwidth of 125 MHz has been observed with a peak gain of 12 dB. The 3 dB compression point with a peak gain of 14.6 dB is -90.5 dB and the dynamic range is 38 dB.

DOI
10.1063/1.116845

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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Nov 18, 1988•0 citations
We have obtained parametric gain at 19 GHz from a distributed Josephson junction parametric amplifier whose active gain medium consists of a series array of 1000 Josephson junctions embedded in a coplanar waveguide. When cooled to 1.7 K the amplifier provides 16 dB gain in a mode where the internally generated double sideband noise referred to input is 0.5±0.1 K. This noise is consistent with Nyquist noise generated from the losses. An instantaneous bandwidth of 125 MHz has been observed with a peak gain of 12 dB. The 3 dB compression point with a peak gain of 14.6 dB is -90.5 dB and the dynamic range is 38 dB.
Arrays of 10 or 40 series-connected small densely packed Josephson tunnel junctions were successfully operated as parametric amplifiers at 10 GHz. Between 50 and 90% of the junctions in an array were observed to work coherently in the amplification process. Signal gain exceeding 24 dB was achieved with a pump power as low as −50 to −70 dBm. A power width (i.e., the range of the pump power for a gain within 3 dB of the peak gain) of 0.25 dB and a bandwidth of 15 MHz were measured for 20-dB gain. The power width was in accordance with theory but the bandwidth was reduced, probably due to noise saturation effects. The latter effects can be reduced by lowering the input noise temperature or by including an external band limitation. The noise temperature was also increased by saturation; however, with an external bandwidth of 60 MHz, a noise temperature of 30±20 K was measured. The application of a magnetic field has proved extremely useful as a means of tuning the amplifiers to stable high-gain operating points. This tuning was also utilized in evaluating the amplifier parameters, and the theory by Feldman, Parrish, and Chiao has been verified. The upper frequency limit for a lead tunnel junction amplifier ought to be well above 300 GHz.
We have investigated the performance of a resistive rf SQUID as a 9 GHz parametric amplifier and oscillator. It was coupled to a low impedance microstrip transformer. Stable Josephson oscillations were obtained for βLQ =2eI0ZL/hf <1.1–1.8. Oscillation linewidth (830 kHz) and output power (−74 dBm) were measured. The four-photon internally pumped amplifier produced large single sideband (ssb) noise temperatures, typically around 50 K, due to the broad flanks of the pump. The best performance was achieved in the three- and four-photon externally pumped modes. Both modes gave signal gains of about 10 dB and negligible noise power contributions. A hot/cold measurement on the four-photon amplifier yielded Gdsb =13 dB (dsb=double sideband) and Tdsb =3±4 K over a bandwidth of 310 MHz. For larger values of βLQ , subharmonics 1/2 and 1/3, as well as noninteger ‘‘excitations’’ of the Josephson oscillation, were observed. The subharmonic oscillations were not tunable in frequency with unchanged linewidth. Amplification close to an excitation also produced gain but with ssb noise temperatures of ∼20 K.
We introduce a near-quantum-limited amplifier with a large tunable bandwidth and high dynamic range---the Josephson array-mode parametric amplifier (JAMPA). The signal and idler modes involved in the amplification process are realized by the array modes of a chain of 1000 flux-tunable Josephson-junction-based nonlinear elements. The frequency spacing between the array modes is comparable to the flux tunability of the modes, ensuring that any desired frequency can be occupied by a resonant mode, which can further be pumped to produce high gain. We experimentally demonstrate that the device can be operated as a nearly quantum-limited parametric amplifier with 20 dB of gain at almost any frequency within a 4--12-GHz band. On average, it has a 3-dB bandwidth of 11 MHz and an input 1-dB compression power of $\ensuremath{-}108\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{dBm}$, which can go as high as $\ensuremath{-}93\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{dBm}$. We envision the application of such a device to the time- and frequency-multiplexed readout of multiple qubits, as well as to the generation of continuous-variable cluster states.