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Conference on Precision Electromagnetic Measurements

Development of an Optical Bias Receiver for Pulsed Josephson Arrays Cryocooler Operation

F. Delpiano, Paolo Durandetto, Danilo Serazio, Oliver Kieler, A. Sosso

Published Aug 1, 2020• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The development of pulse driven Josephson arrays has led to devices capable of generating quantum referenced arbitrary and ultra pure voltages with amplitudes exceeding 2 V. The optical driving of pulses was shown to have several advantages with respect to electrical methods. On the other hand, cryocooler operation of Josephson standards is promising to simplify cryogenic management and improve output signal transmission. A novel optical interface designed for cryocooler operation is presented and the results of first tests are discussed.

DOI
10.1109/cpem49742.2020.9191770

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The development of pulse driven Josephson arrays has led to devices capable of generating quantum referenced arbitrary and ultra pure voltages with amplitudes exceeding 2 V. The optical driving of pulses was shown to have several advantages with respect to electrical methods. On the other hand, cryocooler operation of Josephson standards is promising to simplify cryogenic management and improve output signal transmission. A novel optical interface designed for cryocooler operation is presented and the results of first tests are discussed.
Abstract We have successfully operated two Josephson junction arrays in parallel with photonically generated current pulses to achieve higher output voltages with our optical pulse drive setup. Passive optical power splitters divide each optical channel at room temperature in order to illuminate multiple cryogenic photodiodes at 4 K , located near the arrays. The balanced photodiode configurations bias the Josephson junctions with ternary current pulses to generate a 1 kHz bipolar sinusoidal voltage with a nominal root mean square amplitude of 85 mV . We determined a spurious free dynamic range and total harmonic distortion of 110.6 dBc and − 105.0 dB from the spectrum of the synthesized signal. Applying an additional dither current to each array individually yielded a quantum locking range of 0.4 mA and 0.6 mA . Furthermore, the quantum locked operation was confirmed to remain stable when the optical output power of the laser diodes and the DC bias of the Mach–Zehnder modulators were varied. A stability measurement of the output amplitude over more than half an hour confirmed sufficiently wide operating margins, further demonstrating a reliable optical Josephson arbitrary waveform synthesizer setup suitable for generating quantum-based waveform with high spectral purity traceable to fundamental constants. To our knowledge, this is the highest amplitude generated with optically driven Josephson junctions so far and the first successful proof of principle for parallelizing the optical pulse drive to achieve higher output voltages in the future.
Pulse-driven Josephson voltage standards are used to generate quantum-based, spectrally pure AC voltage signals. The current pulses that drive the Josephson arrays can be transmitted optically and recent progress has demonstrated the operation of fast photodiodes at 4 K. In order to generate bipolar waveforms, two photodiodes are required to generate positive and negative pulses close to the Josephson array. We describe our optoelectronic setup and will present first results on a ternary pulse drive at the conference.
Quantum-accurate arbitrary voltage waveforms have been generated using electrical pulse driven Josephson junction arrays (JJAs) by several groups [1, 2]. An alternative method is to use optoelectronic components to convert the electrical pulse drive into an optical signal which is subsequently converted by a photodiode into an electrical drive signal connected directly to the JJA. This optoelectronic pulse drive system has several advantages. Due to the electrical isolation between electrical pulse drive and JJA, it is possible to connect several arrays in series without the requirement for complex electrical compensation circuits. This allows larger output voltages to be realized. An optoelectronic drive also offers the ability to easily tune pulse height, via continuous optical attenuation, allowing the drive signal to be tuned to the middle of the JJA constant voltage step giving optimum operation margins. We here present an optoelectronic pulse drive which forms part of a system incorporating a JJA and delta sigma feedback loop [3] for quantum-accurate digitization of arbitrary voltage waveforms. Results showing the generation of quantum-accurate voltages synchronized to the feedback loop master clock are presented.
In this paper, the Josephson Arbitrary Waveform Synthesizer system, which is driven by electro-optical pulses, established at TUBITAK UME is introduced. The system is run in cryocooler in contrast to the previous works. Special probe which is vacuum tight is designed to immerse the superconducting circuits into the cooler. The system is designed using electro-optical devices and their drivers available in the market. Electro-optical measurements are carried out to operate the system properly. A software that controls the drivers of electro-optical devices is prepared. It has been demonstrated that the system works as planed at cryogenic temperatures by generating unipolar quantum waves and observing the IV curves of the array of JJs under electro-optical drive.
The Josephson effect is worldwide exploited as the basis for constant reference voltages in National Metrological Institutes (NMIs) and in industry calibration laboratories. Lately, voltage metrology research has been mainly directed towards the application of Josephson effect for the synthesis of very accurate ac and arbitrary voltage signals: pulse-driven Josephson arrays represent the most promising way for linking ac voltage calibrations to a quantum phenomenon. Furthermore, an easy and secure cooling system based on cryocoolers is desirable in order to allow the spread of Josephson standards outside NMIs. A Gifford-McMahon cryocooler is currently in use at INRiM for the operation of ac-Josephson Voltage Standards (JVSs). We employed pulse-driven JVSs for synthesizing sine waves with frequency in the kHz range and amplitudes in the mV range, with distortion around 80 dBc. In this report we present a detailed description of this technique and of the refrigeration system employed.
After demonstrating bipolar waveforms in 2020, PTB’s optical pulse transmission drive has been expanded for two independent Josephson junction arrays. Passive optical power splitters divide the two independent optical channels at room temperature. Balanced photodiodes modules in liquid helium then generate ternary electrical pulses to drive the nearby Josephson junction arrays via coplanar waveguides less than 10 mm long. The outputs of the Josephson junction arrays are connected in series and we successfully synthesized bipolar sinewaves at 1 kHz and 35 mV rms amplitude with higher harmonics suppressed by more than 96 dBc.