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Superconductor Science and Technology

Local tunability in a multi-port SQUID by an injection current

Zuyu Xu, Wanghao Tian, Shixian Chen, Wencheng Yue, Hongmei Du, Dingding Li, Zihan Wei, Yang-Yang Lyu, Hancong Sun, Yong-Lei Wang, Guozhu Sun, Jian Chen, Biaobing Jin, Huabing Wang, Peiheng Wu

Published Oct 19, 2021• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract The tunability in Josephson junctions is foundational to the superconducting classical and quantum applications. Here, we demonstrate the local manipulation of supercurrent realized in a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) with two Nb/TiO x /Nb Josephson junctions that is biased at the TiO x layer. Our measurements indicate that the multi-port device allows for an easy and in situ tunability of the supercurrent. The control mechanism can be finely explained by simple yet valid theoretical methods, which take an effective electronic temperature across the SQUID and the self inductive magnetic flux into account. Furthermore, we show that the phase difference and kinetic inductance of this device can be tuned locally via the injection current. Thus, the device provides perspective for several superconducting electronics such as tunable superconducting circuits, sensitive magnetometry, and fast digital elements.

DOI
10.1088/1361-6668/ac30d1

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Abstract The tunability in Josephson junctions is foundational to the superconducting classical and quantum applications. Here, we demonstrate the local manipulation of supercurrent realized in a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) with two Nb/TiO x /Nb Josephson junctions that is biased at the TiO x layer. Our measurements indicate that the multi-port device allows for an easy and in situ tunability of the supercurrent. The control mechanism can be finely explained by simple yet valid theoretical methods, which take an effective electronic temperature across the SQUID and the self inductive magnetic flux into account. Furthermore, we show that the phase difference and kinetic inductance of this device can be tuned locally via the injection current. Thus, the device provides perspective for several superconducting electronics such as tunable superconducting circuits, sensitive magnetometry, and fast digital elements.
Controlling both the amplitude and the phase of the superconducting quantum order parameter ψ in nanostructures is important for next-generation information and communication technologies. The lack of electric resistance in superconductors, which may be advantageous for some technologies, hinders convenient voltage-bias tuning and hence limits the tunability of ψ at the microscopic scale. Here, we demonstrate the local tunability of the phase and amplitude of ψ, obtained by patterning with a single lithography step a Nb nano-superconducting quantum interference device (nano-SQUID) that is biased at its nanobridges. We accompany our experimental results by a semi-classical linearized model that is valid for generic nano-SQUIDs with multiple ports and helps simplify the modelling of non-linear couplings among the Josephson junctions. Our design helped us reveal unusual electric characteristics with effective zero inductance, which is promising for nanoscale magnetic sensing and quantum technologies.
Voltage-Tunable Vertical Nb/TiOx\text{TiO}_{\text{x}}TiOx​/Nb Josephson Junction With High Transconductance and Broad Inductance Modulation
The ability to electrically control the critical current of a Josephson junction is a pivotal capability for developing reconfigurable superconducting electronics and quantum circuits. In this study, we report a voltage-tunable vertical Nb/TiOx\rm{TiO}_{\rm{x}}TiOx​/Nb Josephson junction, featuring a top tuning electrode isolated by a 13 nm single-crystal hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) dielectric. Applying a tuning voltage across this 2D insulator creates a high electric field, enabling the direct injection of high-energy quasi-particles into the junction. This mechanism facilitates the continuous suppression of the critical current to zero, accompanied by a broad modulation of the Josephson inductance. Our superconducting device exhibits a high transconductance ($\sim1mA/V)andallowstheJosephsonkineticinductancetobetunedacrossawiderange(1 mA/V) and allows the Josephson kinetic inductance to be tuned across a wide range (1mA/V)andallowstheJosephsonkineticinductancetobetunedacrossawiderange(\sim$0.01-1 nH). This voltage-tunable vertical architecture provides a compact device footprint, offering a promising platform for exploring dense, all-metallic superconducting circuits and future active cryogenic applications.
We study a 0-$\ensuremath{\pi}$ dc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) with asymmetric inductances and critical currents of the two Josephson junctions (JJs). By considering such a dc SQUID as a black box with two terminals, we calculate its effective current-phase relation ${I}_{s}(\ensuremath{\psi})$ and the Josephson energy $U(\ensuremath{\psi})$, where $\ensuremath{\psi}$ is the Josephson phase across the terminals. We show that there is a domain of parameters where the black box has the properties of a $\ensuremath{\varphi}$ JJ with degenerate ground state phases $\ensuremath{\psi}=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\ensuremath{\varphi}$. The $\ensuremath{\varphi}$ domain is rather large, so one can easily construct a $\ensuremath{\varphi}$ JJ experimentally. We derive the current phase relation and show that it can be tuned in situ by applying an external magnetic flux resulting in a continuous transition between the systems with static solutions $\ensuremath{\psi}=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\ensuremath{\varphi},\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\psi}={\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{0} ({\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{0}\ensuremath{\ne}0,\ensuremath{\pi})$ and even $\ensuremath{\psi}={\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{0}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\ensuremath{\varphi}$. The dependence of ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{0}$ on applied magnetic flux is not $2\ensuremath{\pi}$ (one flux quantum) periodic.
The development of superconducting electronics requires careful characterization of the components that makeup electronic circuits. Superconducting weak links are the building blocks of most superconducting electronic components and are characterized by highly nonlinear current-to-phase relations (CPRs), which are often not perfectly known. Recent research has found that the Josephson diode effect (JDE) can be related to the high harmonic content of the current-to-phase relation of the weak links embedded in superconducting interferometers. This makes the JDE a natural tool for exploring the harmonic content of weak links beyond single-harmonic CPR. In this study, we present the theoretical model and experimental characterization of a double-loop superconducting quantum interference device (DL-SQUID) that embeds all-metallic superconductor-normal metal-superconductor junctions. The proposed device exhibits the JDE due to the interference of the supercurrents of three weak links in parallel, and this feature can be adjusted through two magnetic fluxes, which act as experimental knobs. We carry out a theoretical study of the device in terms of the relative weight of the interferometer arms and the experimental characterization concerning flux tunability and temperature.
Superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) that incorporate two superconductor/insulator/superconductor (SIS) Josephson junctions in a closed loop form the core of some of the most sensitive detectors of magnetic and electric fields currently available. SQUIDs in these applications are typically operated with a finite voltage which generates microwave radiation through the ac Josephson effect. This radiation may impact the system being measured. We describe here a SQUID in which the Josephson junctions are formed from strips of normal metal (N) in good electrical contact with the superconductor (S). Such SNS SQUIDs can be operated under a finite voltage bias with performance comparable or potentially better than conventional SIS SQUIDs. However, they also permit a mode of operation that is based on the unusual interplay of quasiparticle currents and supercurrents in the normal metal of the Josephson junction. The method allows measurements of the flux dependence of the critical current of the SNS SQUID without applying a finite voltage bias across the SNS junction, enabling sensitive flux detection without generating microwave radiation.
Gate-tunable Josephson junctions (JJs) are the backbone of superconducting classical and quantum computation. Typically, these systems exploit low-charge-concentration materials and present technological difficulties limiting their scalability. Surprisingly, electric field modulation of a supercurrent in metallic wires and JJs has been recently demonstrated. Here, we report the realization of titanium-based monolithic interferometers which allow tuning both JJs independently via voltage bias applied to capacitively coupled electrodes. Our experiments demonstrate full control of the amplitude of the switching current ( I s ) and of the superconducting phase across the single JJ in a wide range of temperatures. Astoundingly, by gate-biasing a single junction, the maximum achievable total I s is suppressed down to values much lower than the critical current of a single JJ. A theoretical model including gate-induced phase fluctuations on a single junction accounts for our experimental findings. This class of quantum interferometers could represent a breakthrough for several applications such as digital electronics, quantum computing, sensitive magnetometry, and single-photon detection.