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Superconductor Science and Technology

Design dependence of noise in Nb-based dc SQUIDs

Viatcheslav Zakosarenko, Matthias Schmelz, J. Kunert, Evgeni V. Il’ichev, Ronny Stolz

Published Jun 10, 2024• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract Noise in superconducting quantum interference devices (dc SQUIDs) with different design, based on Nb/AlO x /Nb technology, has been systematically measured at temperature T = 4.2 K. We demonstrate that for all our devices the power spectral density of the white noise (above a frequency of about 1 kHz) is determined by the shunt resistors, reaching about 5 times Planck’s constant. The low-frequency noise level was measured for washer- and multi-loop-type SQUIDs with systematically varied effective area, SQUID loop perimeter, and inductance. We show that at 1 Hz the noise spectral density is approximately 40 times higher than the white noise level and its scaling with washer width and effective area is negligible. These results are incompatible with several models of the flicker noise source. Possible origins of this noise are discussed.

DOI
10.1088/1361-6668/ad5627

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We have fabricated dc superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) incorporating Nb/Al-oxide/Nb Josephson junctions in both stripline and washer geometries. Low-frequency noise in excess of that predicted by the resistively-shunted junction model is present in both geometries and is demonstrated to be flux noise. This flux noise is not environmental. Improvements in fabrication processing over the past four years have reduced the level of this flux noise. SQUIDs are now fabricated with PdAu resistors, Nb wiring layers, and SiO/sub 2/ interlayer dielectric. In our best well-coupled SQUIDs, the white-noise energy sensitivity is 5/spl times/10/sup -31/ J/spl middot/s, with a 1/f knee below 0.1 Hz. We believe further reduction in the flux noise might be obtained with the use of on-chip flux shielding and/or trapping structures.
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The flux noise in a long superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) array consisting of at least 100 dc-SQUID elements connected in series was characterized analytically, and then compared with measurements. In the analysis, noise sources in the array were shunt resistors for Josephson junctions, a damping resistor for a SQUID loop, the dynamic resistance of the SQUID array, and the noise of electronics at room temperature. The flux noise of the array was calculated analytically as a function of the number of dc-SQUID elements. The results reveal that the flux noise is significantly influenced by the dynamic resistance of the array, although the influence by the dynamic resistance for a single SQUID is negligibly small. The dynamic resistance becomes dominant for the flux noise when the number of SQUID elements in the array exceeds 100. These results agree well with the measured flux noise for a long SQUID array constructed using a Nb/AlO x /Nb fabrication process.
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The spectral density S(Φ)(f) = A(2)/(f/1 Hz)(α) of magnetic flux noise in ten dc superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) with systematically varied geometries shows that α increases as the temperature is lowered; in so doing, each spectrum pivots about a nearly constant frequency. The mean-square flux noise, inferred by integrating the power spectra, grows rapidly with temperature and at a given temperature is approximately independent of the outer dimension of a given SQUID. These results are incompatible with a model based on the random reversal of independent, surface spins.