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IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity

Weak Radio Frequency Signal Reception Sensitivity Based on DC Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices

Shanchi Wu, Chen Gong, Shangbin Li, Rui Ni, Jinkang Zhu

Published Apr 13, 2023• 7 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) are promising for detection of extremely weak power regimes for the Internet of Things and long-distance satellite networks. In low-frequency magnetic signal measurements, it has demonstrated superior performance over the traditional systems. We review the resistively and capacitively shunted junction model of dc SQUIDs and investigate its transfer function to magnetic flux signals while taking thermal fluctuation into account. We numerically evaluate the influence of bias current and bias flux signal to determine the operating parameters of the device. The performances related to SQUID ring inductance operating at 4.2 K and 77 K are demonstrated. Combined with common radio frequency front-end modules, including low-noise amplifier and low-pass filter, we evaluate the bit-error-rate performance of the system under different inductance values and inferred that the sensitivity of the system can reach −99 dBm at 100 MHz bandwidth.

DOI
10.1109/tasc.2023.3266881

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Superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) are promising for detection of extremely weak power regimes for the Internet of Things and long-distance satellite networks. In low-frequency magnetic signal measurements, it has demonstrated superior performance over the traditional systems. We review the resistively and capacitively shunted junction model of dc SQUIDs and investigate its transfer function to magnetic flux signals while taking thermal fluctuation into account. We numerically evaluate the influence of bias current and bias flux signal to determine the operating parameters of the device. The performances related to SQUID ring inductance operating at 4.2 K and 77 K are demonstrated. Combined with common radio frequency front-end modules, including low-noise amplifier and low-pass filter, we evaluate the bit-error-rate performance of the system under different inductance values and inferred that the sensitivity of the system can reach −99 dBm at 100 MHz bandwidth.
Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) is a sensitive detector of magnetic flux signals. Up to now, the main application of SQUIDs has been measurements of magnetic flux signals in the frequency range from near DC to several MHz. Recently, cryogenic low-noise radio-frequency (RF) amplifiers based on DC SQUID are under development aiming to detect RF signals with sensitivity approaching quantum limit. In this paper, we review the recent progress of cryogenic low-noise RF amplifiers based on SQUID technology.
We have fabricated and characterized the noise performance of well-coupled Nb-Pb alloy edge junction dc superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) with a resistively shunted inductance. The extra damping resistor removes the resonances in the current-voltage characteristics resulting in a very low value of the extrinsic energy sensitivity in flux-locked-loop operation. Numerical simulations, with the junction capacitance included, indicate that the damping resistance does not degrade noise performance until it is significantly less than the junction-shunting resistance. We also tested different SQUID designs and demonstrated that a large SQUID inductance, proposed earlier to be desirable when resistively shunted, can seriously affect the low-frequency flux noise.
Radio-frequency (RF) amplifiers based on direct current (DC) superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) have low-noise performance for precision physics experiments. Gain curves of SQUID RF amplifiers depend on several parameters of the SQUID and operation conditions. We are developing SQUID RF amplifiers for application to measure very weak RF signals from ultra-low-temperature high-magnetic-field microwave cavity in axion search experiments. In this study, we designed, fabricated and characterized SQUID RF amplifiers with different SQUID parameters, such as number of input coil turn, shunt resistance value of the junction and coupling capacitance in the input coil, and compared the results.
We have developed a radio frequency bias current scheme with reversal frequency up to 50 MHz for dc superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). The SQUID and the readout electronics, were connected via a quarter wavelength (/spl lambda//4) transmission line. This transmission line not only transported the SQUID signal, but also served as the resonant matching circuit. For a dc SQUID of inductance 115 pH (loop size 75/spl times/75 /spl mu/m/sup 2/), we measured a flux noise of 33 /spl mu//spl phi//sub 0///spl radic/Hz at 77 K in the flux locked loop configuration. The corner frequency of 1/f noise was less than 0.5 Hz.
We have fabricated and tested thin film, niobium edge junction, double transformer, dc superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUID’s) that were stable under room-temperature storage and thermal cycling and that had very good noise performance. The input inductance, approximately 1.7 μH, was large enough to facilitate good matching to many experiments. When the SQUID was operated as a small-signal amplifier, the minimum detectable energy per unit bandwidth (Se) was 5×10−33 J/Hz at 100 kHz, referred to the SQUID loop (uncoupled). The minimum detectable energy per unit bandwidth was 1.8×10−31 J/Hz at 100 kHz, referred to the input coil. The SQUID’s had good characteristics for flux-locked operation since the small signal Se was low over a substantial range of bias current and magnetic flux. For operation in a flux-locked feedback circuit, Se was 6×10−32 J/Hz at 1 kHz.
The dc Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (dc-SQUID) is one of the most sensitive magnetic field sensors available. In this thesis we concentrate on its application as an amplifier. In this configuration, an input circuit of interest can be connected by means of a coupling coil. The intended application of our developed low-Tc SQUID amplifiers is the readout of the first spherical gravitational wave antenna MiniGRAIL. Using small-signal analysis as well as numerical simulations, we study the achievable signal-to-noise ratio of such sensors in practical measurements. Published theories and studies could be extended. Some interesting points treated are the influence of the often used negative feedback (flux-locked loop), an altered input impedance of the SQUID amplifier and the influence of back-action noise, which directly affects the object of interest. The altered operation of the SQUID due to the presence of the input circuit is studied in numerical experiments. Another important issue, the influence of integrated input coils on the dynamics of SQUIDs, is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The performance of our developed sensors is compared to numerical simulations on detailed models. The results give insights into the behavior, design and usage of dc-SQUIDs with integrated coils. For a SQUID with input inductances of 1.5 μH we reached a good coupled energy sensitivity of about 170 ¯h in a dilution refrigerator. Furthermore, we investigated the hot-electron effect. This effect typically limits the sensitivity of superconducting electronics at sub-Kelvin bath temperatures due to a weakened electron-phonon coupling. We performed heating experiments on thin-film resistors which are similar to the shunt resistors of the Josephson junctions used in our sensors. The suppression of the hot-electron effect via electronic thermal transport to attached cooling fins is investigated both experimentally, theoretically and numerically. The numerical technique turns out to be a useful tool for the thermal design of superconducting electronics.