CSIRO is the Australian national science agency and has had a long-history in research and development of superconducting electronic devices and systems for various practical applications. In this paper, I will give a brief introduction about the Josephson junction technology and describe CSIRO’s research progress in developing various novel high-Tcsuperconducting (HTS) Josephson junction devices and their applied systems. Recently, CSIRO has led the frontier research and development of high-frequency HTS Josephson detectors and heterodyne mixers ranging from microwave, millimeter, to terahertz (THz) frequency bands. These high-frequency superconducting quantum sensors/devices have demonstrated superior performance and applied in sensing and communication systems.
CSIRO is the Australian national science agency and has had a long-history in research and development of superconducting electronic devices and systems for various practical applications. In this paper, I will give a brief introduction about the Josephson junction technology and describe CSIRO’s research progress in developing various novel high-Tcsuperconducting (HTS) Josephson junction devices and their applied systems. Recently, CSIRO has led the frontier research and development of high-frequency HTS Josephson detectors and heterodyne mixers ranging from microwave, millimeter, to terahertz (THz) frequency bands. These high-frequency superconducting quantum sensors/devices have demonstrated superior performance and applied in sensing and communication systems.
The CSIRO Applied Superconductivity Group has a long-term effort in research and development of superconducting electronic devices and systems for various practical applications. In this talk, I will give an overview of CSIRO research activities in developing high-Tcsuperconducting (HTS) Josephson junction devices for various applications. I will firstly describe the CSIRO-developed HTS step-edge Josephson junction technology and its basic application in Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs). I will then describe in more detail our recent research progress on developing high-Tcsuperconducting (HTS) Josephson devices for microwave and terahertz (THz) applications.
The CSIRO Applied Superconductivity Group has a long-term effort in research and development of superconducting electronic devices and systems for various practical applications. In this paper, I will mainly describe our recent research progress in developing novel HTS Josephson devices for high frequency applications. Specifically, we have recently developed a novel HTS Josephson heterodyne gigahertz (GHz) microwave oscillator and on-chip down-converter (mixer). For even higher frequency application, we developed a HTS Josephson junction terahertz (THz) detector and applied it successfully to THz imaging. I will highlight some of the recent results and describe the on-going effort of developing an array of such detectors and associated electronics as well as system integration.
Abstract Terahertz (THz) technology is a rapidly developing field that explores the use of electromagnetic waves in the THz frequency range. The unique properties of THz waves have great application prospects in electromagnetic sensing, security inspection, non-destructive testing, medical diagnostics, biology, high-speed wireless communication, space science and so on. At present, the application of THz technology is still under continuous research and development, and its broad scientific prospects are recognized worldwide. THz frequency falls into the gap on the electromagnetic spectrum of electronics and optics, thus both classic microwave and optical technologies cannot be directly applied to the THz systems. New components, circuits and application systems are being developed for THz technology. Superconductivity is a quantum mechanical phenomenon and offers unique advantages for applications in high-frequency electromagnetic domains. Novel superconducting quantum devices are being exploited for THz wave radiation and detection, and many THz application systems. The high-T c superconducting (HTS) electronic devices have great potential in emerging THz technologies due to its very high-energy bandgap (well into THz regions) and much relaxed cooling requirement, and they offer strong prospect for the development of practical and portable THz systems. This paper provides an overview of the state-of-art development of HTS THz quantum devices and their application for THz sensing, imaging and communication. The review will start with a brief introduction about cutting-edge THz technology, the fundamental of superconductivity, Josephson effects and the HTS Josephson junctions. Then, the research progress and the latest achievement of HTS Josephson THz emitters, detectors and mixers will be reviewed, followed by their application examples in some THz systems. Finally, the conclusion, challenges and outlooks of the HTS technologies in THz applications are discussed.
This paper reviews our major technical achievement in high-Tcsuperconducting (HTS) terahertz (THz) receivers or heterodyne mixers in recent years. By virtue of innovative on-chip antenna/circuit designs, accurate device modelling and simulation, and advanced YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) step-edge junction technology, we have successfully developed a series of HTS Josephson THz mixers with superior performance in terms of operating temperature, intermediate-frequency (IF) bandwidth, conversion gain and noise temperature. These mixers serve as promising receiver frontends for THz wireless communication and sensing systems.
Josephson junctions are highly nonlinear and respond up to infrared frequencies. A wide variety of high frequency applications have been explored. In addition, several high frequency superconducting devices are being developed which do not use the Josephson effect. These include a superconducting version of the Schottky barrier diode for use as a heterodyne mixer and a video detector, and also a composite superconducting bolometer. In this review, the state of development of superconducting mixers, detectors, and parametric amplifiers at microwave, millimeter, and submillimeter wavelengths is discussed. Emphasis will be placed on developments which have taken place since 1974 when a previous review was circulated.
It has been nearly 110 years since the discovery of superconductors, and more than 30 years since the discovery of high temperature superconductors (HTS). Great progress has been made in the application of superconducting electronics in the last two decades. HTS microwave devices have shown much higher perfomance than the traditional ones and have found their ways to the industry applications in mobile communication, radar, and special communication applications. Owing to the ultrahigh sensitivity to magnetic fields and currents, superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) have been used as the irresplacible sensors in geological surveying, magnetic resonanc imaging, biomagnetic imaging, and other areas. The sensitivity of superconducting radiation detectors such as superconducting SIS mixer, superconducting hot electron bolometer, superconducting transition edge sensor, superconducting nanowire single photon detector, and superconducting microwave kinetic inductance detector are near the quantum limitation. They are now key technology in geophysics, astrophysics, quantum information science, biomedicine, and so on. Superconducting Josephson parametric amplifier has become a key element for superconducting quantum computing. Superconducting integrated circuit has been included in the international roadmap for devices and systems, and shows that having the potential to become one of the mainstreams for post-Moore information processing technology. In metrology, superconducting Josephson effect and Josephson junction array devices have been widely used in the redefinition of quantum voltage reference and basic units of the International system of Units. Superconducting electronics plays an important role in the current quantum information technology boom, which in turn promotes the development of superconducting electronics. This review will brief introduce the research and application of superconducting electronics in China in recent years.