Feeding methods of SFQ pulse trains in evaluation of DFQ amplifiers

Hiroaki Myoren, Satoshi Denda, Kazuki Ota +5 more

A read-out circuit for photon-number-resolving superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) based on the single-flux-quantum (SFQ) circuit was designed and the basic performance of the fabricated circuit was confirmed. The current pulse output from an SNSPD array was converted to a SFQ pulse. The SFQ pulse triggered two stacks of double-flux-quantum (DFQ) amplifiers. A single block of a 40-series DFQ amplifier (DFQA) generated 2.3-mV voltage with a rising time of 400 ps for an operation frequency of 1.25 GHz, and the two stacks of DFQA generated 4.6-mV voltage when the SFQ pulse trains supplied both the DFQAs. The total voltage generated by twelve-series of 40-series DFQAs was expected to be 27.6 mV, with the same rising time of 400 ps. Using the fabricated circuit, the 40-series DFQA and the two stacks of the 40-series DFQA generated 2.3- and 4.6-mV voltage, respectively. The output voltage of the SFQ readout circuit was compatible to a room-temperature photon counter with a wide-band low-noise amplifier operating at low temperature.

Yuma Arai, Tomoki Watanabe, Kazunao Sawada +2 more

T. Van Duzer, L Zheng, Xiangchao Meng +6 more

Yoshinao Mizugaki, Yusuke Sato, Hiroshi Shimada +1 more

We evaluate the input–output characteristics of a 1000-fold voltage multiplier designed for single-flux-quantum (SFQ) digital-to-analog converters. The voltage multiplication is based on the double-flux-quantum amplifier (DFQA) that was originally proposed by Herr in 2005. We have designed and fabricated a 999-stage DFQA using a Nb/AlO x /Nb integration technology. In experiments, we have used two methods of feeding the input SFQ pulse train. The one is an overbiasing method, i.e., the input SFQ pulse train is generated at an overbiased input junction. A 1000-fold voltage multiplication with errors less than ±1% has been confirmed for input voltages of up to 27 µV, of which the corresponding Josephson frequency is 13 GHz. In the other method, a dc/SFQ converter is used for feeding the input SFQ pulse train. A 1000-fold voltage multiplication with an error of −0.03% has been obtained for an input frequency of 600 MHz, of which the corresponding Josephson voltage is 1.2 µV. In experiments, errors in measured voltages are likely to limit the accuracy in evaluation of the multiplication factor.

Kazunori Miyahara, Shuichi Nagasawa, H. Hasegawa +3 more

Yuma Arai, Yoshiaki Urai, Tomoki Watanabe +3 more

A Double-Flux-Quantum (DFQ) amplifier can multiply its input voltage with quantum accuracy using DFQ generation at under-damped Josephson junctions. We conducted research on digital-to-analogue converters that were implemented using DFQ amplifiers for metrological applications. Conventional DFQ amplifiers were usually operated using two flux-biasing lines. In this study, we redesigned the circuit layout to realize operation using a single flux-biasing line. We designed a new layout of a 20-fold DFQ amplifier and fabricated it using a 2.5-kA/cm 2 Nb/AlO x /Nb process. The measurement was performed in liquid He. The Single-Flux-Quantum (SFQ) pulse train was fed using an over-biasing method, and the input-output characteristics are acquired using an oscilloscope. When the magnetic flux bias current I fb1 was not supplied, the maximum input voltage V inmax was 68 μV, which was 4.2 times larger than the value of 17 μV that was observed in our previous study. V inmax was enhanced to 120 μV when we supplied an I fb1 of 1.00 mA.