We present a Verilog-A based compact model for the superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) Josephson junction. The model can generate both hysteretic and non-hysteretic current-voltage (I-V) response for the SIS junctions utilizing the Stewart-McCumber parameter. We calibrate our model with different SIS samples and demonstrate accurate matching between the simulated and experimental results. We implement temperature effect on the energy gap and the critical current of the superconductor to explore the dynamic trends in device characteristics. We calculate the junction inductance and energy as functions of junction current and temperature. We simulate the read/write operations of an SIS junction based cryogenic memory cell to illustrate the usability of our model.
We present a Verilog-A based compact model for the superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) Josephson junction. The model can generate both hysteretic and non-hysteretic current-voltage (I-V) response for the SIS junctions utilizing the Stewart-McCumber parameter. We calibrate our model with different SIS samples and demonstrate accurate matching between the simulated and experimental results. We implement temperature effect on the energy gap and the critical current of the superconductor to explore the dynamic trends in device characteristics. We calculate the junction inductance and energy as functions of junction current and temperature. We simulate the read/write operations of an SIS junction based cryogenic memory cell to illustrate the usability of our model.
An interesting feature of Superconductor Normal metal Superconductor - Josephson junctions for digital applications is due to their non-hysteretic current-voltage characteristics in a broad temperature range below Tc. This allows to design Single-Flux-Quantum (SFQ) cells without the need of external shunts. Two advantages can be drawn from this property: first the SFQ cells can be more compact which leads to a more integrated solution towards nano-devices and more complex circuits; second the absence of electrical parasitic elements associated with the wiring of resistors external to the Josephson junctions increases the performance of SFQ circuits, in particular regarding the ultimate speed of operation. For this purpose Superconductor Normal metal Insulator-Superconductor Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb Josephson junctions have been recently developed at INRiM with aluminum layer thicknesses between 30 and 100 nm. They exhibit non-hysteretic current-voltage characteristics with RnIc values higher than 0.5 mV in a broad temperature range and optimal Stewart McCumber parameters at 4.2 K for RSFQ applications. The main features of obtained SNIS junctions regarding digital applications are presented.
We present a model analysis for the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of Josephson junctions having superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) structure. The numerical result for the V m value, which is the product of the maximum supercurrent and the observed subgap resistance, shows a marked decrease with increasing junction critical current density (J c). The marked decrease is independent of leak current. Increasing J c reduces the junction capacitance C J and enlarges the amplitude of the junction voltage oscillation. Nonlinearity of the quasiparticle resistance restricts the voltage oscillation amplitude to the gap voltage, which results in the rapid decrease of the V m value. In this paper, we introduce a sinusoidal oscillation model for the junction voltage, and derive the approximated expressions for the V m value. The model approximation results agree well with the numerical results.
Josephson junctions (JJs) with non-hysteretic I-V characteristic and high critical parameters are required for many applications; in particular, they are needed to create tunable THz range oscillators. We fabricated and studied shunted superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) Nb-AlOx-Nb tunnel junctions with an area of about 1μm2, estimated their parameters, and compared them with theoretical models. To assess the performance of shunted junctions in the terahertz range, their characteristics were studied under the influence of a high-frequency signal; the estimated value of the characteristic voltage for the shunted junction at a high frequency is about 1 mV. To improve the circuit parameters, a new type of the shunting based on application of NIS junctions was proposed, which reduces the influence of parasitic inductance, expands the frequency range of the generator, and decreases the size of the structure. The JJs with a new type of shunting have been fabricated and studied. The niobium integrated circuits intended for matching the superconducting oscillator and an SIS junction as a microwave detector were designed, fabricated, and tested. Such structures are required for studying the spectral characteristics and analyzing the operation of the oscillator. The developed circuits have demonstrated efficient operation at frequencies from 300 to 700 GHz; the experimental results are in good agreement with the simulated characteristics. The results obtained will be implemented for further development of the THz range oscillators.
This work investigates the relationship between self-heating and the characteristic features observed in the current–voltage characteristics (IVCs) of superconductor–insulator–superconductor (SIS) junctions. Finite-element analysis is employed to evaluate the steady-state temperature distribution around SIS junctions, explicitly accounting for the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivities of the constituent materials. This approach enables flexible estimation of self-heating under various practical conditions, such as different substrate materials, interfacial thermal resistances, and geometric layouts. A heating coefficient is extracted from the simulations and used as an input parameter for IVC modeling. Incorporating self-heating through temperature-dependent gap energy and gap broadening, the simulated IVCs reproduce bending features near the energy gap that agree with measured characteristics. Furthermore, when an unintended weak link, such as a fabrication-induced defect near a via hole, is present near an SIS junction, its critical current can be significantly reduced by junction heating, producing unexpected bends at the linear branch of measured IVCs. Conversely, such bends may serve as indicators that the junction temperature approaches the superconducting transition temperature.
This work is devoted to the study of tunnel Josephson superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) junctions with a new type of shunting based on the usage of an additional superconductor-insulator-normal metal (NIS) junction located around the SIS junction. Numerical calculations of the parameters of such shunted junctions were carried out and modeling of their IVC (current-voltage characteristics) was performed. The designed samples were manufactured, their parameters were studied. To investigate the behavior of junctions under the influence of high-frequency signals in the sub-THz range, their IVCs were measured. Keywords: Superconducting devices, superconductor-insulator-superconductor tunnel junction, Josephson effect, shunting of Josephson junctions.
Abstract Josephson junctions based on superconducting materials are fundamental components for quantum detection, quantum communication and quantum computers. An accurate behavioral model of Josephson junctions is the prerequisite for predicting various superconducting circuits. In this study, We present a resistively and capacitively shunted junction (RCSJ) model-based behavioral-level model for the current-voltage characteristics of Josephson junctions. This model accurately predicts the current-voltage characteristics and their temperature dependencies of Josephson junctions made of different materials under three typical working modes: underdamped voltage-driven, overdamped current-driven, and underdamped current-driven. Additionally, it forecasts the critical current and superconducting energy gap characteristics with respect to temperature, as well as the constraint relationship between the shunt resistance, superconducting energy gap, and critical current. Comparing the measured data with the simulation predictions, the model has an average accuracy of 85.9%, which illustrates the reliability of the model.