Microwave superconducting electronic devices

Robert Adde

D. Quenter, S. Stehle, T. Doderer +8 more

Low temperature scanning electron microscopy (LTSEM) offers the possibility for spatially resolved investigations of microwave properties of single Josephson junctions, superconducting striplines, resonators, and complex cryoelectric circuits during their operation. The spatial resolution of about 1 μm is at least two orders of magnitude better than the typical wavelength (≳100 μm in the elements) in the frequency range of interest (50–500 GHz). We demonstrate that LTSEM is a well suited tool for the experimental investigation of superconducting microwave devices and cryoelectronic circuits.

D. Quenter, T. Doderer, Rudolf Peter Huebener

We measured the spatial distribution of microwave fields and dissipative surface currents in various passive and active superconducting thin-film devices during their operation at a temperature of about 4 K. We used low-temperature scanning electron microscopy which offers a spatial resolution of about 1 μm and we present sample response models for interpreting the imaging results. Such investigations may have important consequences for the improvement of the design and preparation of superconducting thin-film microwave devices.

A.S. Clorfeine, Barry N. Taylor

Karl K. Berggren

Superconducting nanowires and nanostrips have been used extensively in single-photon detection and have recently demonstrated the capability for photon-number resolution. These devices can also find use for microwave analog and digital superconducting electronics for purposes such as signal processing and multiplexing, and potentially for applications to readout of superconductive quantum computing. This talk will discuss novel electronics and photodetection devices based on superconducting nanowires.

W.S. Khokle, Ravish Gupta